Maelstrom
by Lindelle
Summary: Yuugi returned to Seattle ready to start fresh - and how better to do so than as a marine biology intern at the world renowned KaibaCorp, Marine Division? However, as Yuugi delves deeper within KaibaCorp's walls, he discovers more than he expected, and finds himself questioning everything he thinks he knows about science, life, and love. OFF HIATUS, finally. YYxY, AU.
1. Prologue

**WARNINGS**: This story deals with material that some readers may find offensive. If homosexuality or scientific cloning (basically playing God) is not your cup of tea, I apologize but this story is not for you. Also, Yuugi is neither helpless nor saintly, so this may qualify as being somewhat out of character; however, I just tried to make him more realistic. Oh, there's also a bit of swearing.

**DISCLAIMER**: I think we all know that I don't own the characters and the plot is generic enough at the moment that I can safely say that I don't own that either.

**GENERAL NOTES**: This is my first time writing in awhile, I sort of abandoned FF but came back. I have a different pen-name now, as I'm looking for a clean slate. My grammar and spelling are improving but not fantastic yet, so I apologize in advance. Finally, updates will come when they come, I'll do my best to work quickly. Thank you for reading!

**-Maelstrom-**

By: _WhisperingWorlds_

**Prologue: From a House to a Home**

The sea-side cottage was just as Yuugi Mutou remembered it, even though he hadn't laid eyes on it for nearly eight years. Made out of wood, it was small but well maintained; the roof had been recently tiled and the deck shone with a new coat of varnish. The windows were larger than most and left open to allow the daylight and cool, salty breeze to blow through the small home. Nestled on a rocky cove and surrounded by a forest of humongous evergreens, the little house was isolated and peaceful; but best of all, it was all Yuugi's.

The cottage had been gifted to Yuugi by his mother and father, Sandra and Samuel Mutou, as a graduation present; and Yuugi couldn't have been more shocked if he had discovered a peanut-butter-and-jelly fish. At the age of eighteen, Yuugi had left his life in Seattle to attend university in Maui, Hawaii, his parents expecting him to return home four years later with a degree in Engineering, an equally ambitious girlfriend and well on his way to a lucrative, respectable career. Yuugi, however, returned eight years later with a PhD in Marine Biology, a surf board, and an internship at KaibaCorp's Marine Analysis Division. It shouldn't have come as much of a surprise, since Yuugi had spent the summers of his youth investigating tide pools when he should have been playing soccer with his friends, but to his conservative, successful parents, it was almost an insult. Therefore, even though after many tears and angry phone calls his parents had agreed to support him, Yuugi had nearly fainted when upon his return, they had handed him the keys to the cottage with proud smiles on their faces.

_I really do have the best parents in the world_, Yuugi said, smiling as he returned to his old red pick-up truck and hopped into the back. The boot was filled with a number of good sized cardboard boxes, which Yuugi had had shipped from his apartment in Maui. There wasn't too much to unpack considering the amount of time he'd spent on the large island; maybe a day's work at most, and even less if he had some friends helping him.

Yuugi hadn't even finished the thought before he heard the rumbling of an approaching car engine. He turned his gaze to the small, gravel road winding around the impossibly huge cedar trees and saw a sleek, black Jeep with its top down come around the corner. Behind the shaded windshield, he could see the faint outlines of the Jeep's two passengers. With a sudden jerk, the SUV pulled over, several feet behind Yuugi's truck. Yuugi's round face split into a large grin as two very tall boys completely disregarded the doors and bolted out of the back.

"Yuugi!" the two boys shouted as they ran towards the red truck. Yuugi gave an exhilarated laugh and dropped the box he was holding, before jumping out of the back of his truck and jogging over to meet them.

"Tristan!" Yuugi shouted happily, stepping on his tip toes to wrap the first boy, a muscular brunette, in a brotherly hug.

"How are ya man?" Tristan Taylor asked enthusiastically. "It's about time you came back to little old Washington. Great place you've got here, perfect for you; but man, that forest is such a bitch to drive through!"

"Nah, you jus' suck at drivin'," another voice quipped with a slight, Brooklyn accent. Yuugi immediately turned to look into the hazel eyes of his best friend, Joey Wheeler. Joey was even taller than Tristan, though slightly thinner, with shaggy blonde hair and a slightly stubbly chin. Yuugi leaped at Joey happily, and the sandy haired boy caught him and swung him around in a circle.

"Whoa Yuug!" Joey exclaimed after setting Yuugi down and giving him an exaggerated once over. "What happened to ya, lil guy?"

Though Yuugi would have once bristled at the slightly demeaning nickname, he knew Joey long enough to know that it was all in jest… well sort of. As a teen, Yuugi had been incredibly small for his age, and though he'd grown slightly over the past eight years, he was still below average. His height, however, was not the only thing that Joey was referring to.

The long years in Hawaii had changed Yuugi both inside and out. The skinny, gothic, pale boy with pitch black hair was gone, and in his place stood a lean, freckly man, his dark hair highlighted with gold from many hours spent at the beach. His style had relaxed significantly too, though there were still hints of his punk phase here and there. Where he had once worn tight leather and chains, he now donned comfortable jeans and an unbuttoned black shirt with rolled up sleeves. He also rarely wore jewelry anymore, save for a shark tooth earring and a white, shiny pendant on a string around his neck.

Yuugi touched the pendant fondly; it was a Maori necklace, carved out of a single piece of ivory into the traditional 'fish hook' design. It had been a parting gift from Yuugi's closest friends in Maui, the siblings Rishid, Ishizu and Malik Ishtar. The Ishtars were native to Hawaii, with tanned skin and light eyes, and they had basically adopted Yuugi as one of the family. Though they were not rich by any means, they were kind people who enjoyed what they did; Rishid and Ishizu, the elder siblings, ran a small beach side bar, while Malik had attended university with Yuugi and taught surfing on the side. Though Yuugi had been overjoyed to return home, he still found himself missing his Hawaiian friends, just as he'd missed Joey and Tristan while he was away at school.

"Ya know what," Joey said suddenly, immediately recognizing the 'I miss someone' look in Yuugi's eyes from the many times he'd said good bye to Yuugi at the airport, "I like it. Ya look more mature like, though not much like a scientist."

"Marine biologist Joey," Yuugi replied fondly, rolling his eyes. Nonetheless, he appreciated that Joey was try to cheer him up and decided to enjoy spending time with these friends, instead of moping because he missed other ones.

"Well den, come on Mr. Marine Biologist," Joey said, bowing deeply at his waist, causing Tristan and Yuugi to both snicker. "We have some unpackin' ta do today ya Highness."

"If you insist," Yuugi replied primly, playing along. The effect was somewhat ruined by Joey ruffling his dark hair. "Cut it out," he laughed good-naturedly, swatting at the blonde's hand. Joey immediately tackled his smaller friend, and the two wrestled playfully on the coarse grass for several minutes.

"Come on children," Tristan said finally, after the two grew out of breath, "Let's get this stuff unpacked fast. Then, we can go exploring!"

"Exploring?" Joey said eagerly, releasing his hold on Yuugi. "Den what are we waitin' for? C'mon guys!" With that, the blonde bounded towards Yuugi's truck with all of the excitement and speed of a Labrador puppy. _He sort of looks like one too_, Yuugi mused to himself, as he watched his friend's shaggy hair flutter.

"Come on Yuugi," Tristan said, as they watched Joey execute a perfect jump into the back of Yuugi's truck. "We'd better get over there before he tries to unpack your stuff himself."

"Yeah," Yuugi agreed, nodding his head. "With the way he stomps around like a bull, I won't have any stuff left."

-o-

True to form, Joey did manage to break a few, thankfully trivial, things. Luckily, the rest of the unpacking went by without a hitch, and by mid afternoon, Yuugi's cottage looked as though it had been lived in for years.

The inside was decorated to remind Yuugi of Hawaii, and the entire house now had a distinctly nautical feel. Ornaments adorned the bookshelves in the living room and dining room, including shells and wood carvings made by Yuugi and the Ishtars. Though the walls were plain, the house's five rooms were blooming with colours from the bright carpets and quilts. The fridge and air conditioning were running, the appliances were all working and pictures of his family and friends adorned the walls; all in all, the cottage had finally gone from a house to a home. All that was left was Yuugi's bedroom, but that was something he wanted to do on his own.

"Well done team!" Joey yelled, punching the air with his fist, before collapsing onto one of two couches in the living room. Yuugi immediately joined him, knocking the blonde's legs off his sofa and taking a seat himself. The living room was Yuugi's favorite by far; the walls were lined with bookshelves (now filled with books!) except for the wall which faced the ocean; it was pure glass and made for an absolutely breath-taking view.

"You guys thirsty?" Tristan yelled from the kitchen, which was separated from the living room by only an island and four bar stools.

"Hells yeah!" Joey shouted back, "any beer left in da fridge?"

Joey and Tristan had thankfully thought ahead, and brought Yuugi a cooler filled with basic food, to keep him going until he made it into Seattle to pick up groceries. Though the cooler had been filled mostly with beer, there was also some fruit and enough Subway sandwiches to last Yuugi a few days.

"Three," Tristan replied, cracking one open for himself and taking a long swig. Gathering the other two into the crook of his elbow, he kicked the fridge door closed, and walked into the living room. Handing a beer each to Yuugi and Joey, he then preceded to fling himself onto the other, unoccupied couch. The three friends nursed their drinks in a comfortable silence, watching waves crash onto the rocky beach.

"Say Yuug," Joey asked carefully after a moment. "You talked ta Tea since you've been back?" Yuugi said nothing, but his eyes hardened. Tea Gardner had been one of the reasons that Yuugi had chosen to go to school so far away in the first place.

"No," Yuugi said sharply, ending the discussion before it began.

Tea had been one of Yuugi's very best friends since elementary school, and the final member of their quartet of friends during high school. Though he had treated her the same way he treated Joey and Tristan, Yuugi had been secretly in love with her since they'd been thirteen. It had taken him nearly three years to get up the nerve to ask her out, but even then, he'd been totally shocked when she'd agreed. Two years later, they were the perfect couple and everyone, including Yuugi, expected them to marry and live happily ever after; that was until Yuugi found her boning the school's quarterback behind the bleachers. As it turned out, their _perfect_ relationship hadn't been perfect for months, at least according to Tea. Within hours, the entire school knew two things; first, that Tea Gardner was a cheating bitch, but also that Yuugi Mutou was incapable of satisfying a woman.

So, in a move he was still ashamed of to this day, Yuugi did what cowards do best and took off to Hawaii, where no one would know anything about him or his relationship and where he could just forget it ever happened. Unfortunately, Tea's betrayal had not simply disappeared; it had festered in the back of his mind for years. And, rather than healing without a scratch as he'd hoped, it scarred him instead. To this day, Yuugi still refused to talk about what had happened; and though he thankfully had not thought of Tea in months, he still doubted he'd ever be rid of her entirely.

"Ya know," Joey pressed cautiously, "maybe ya'd feel better if ya talked about it a bit-"

"I don't _want_ to talk about it Joey," Yuugi interrupted harshly. He hated speaking so unkindly to his friend but he would not allow this conversation to continue. "Leave it alone."

The blonde sighed but nodded his head in agreement. Yuugi smiled briefly in thanks and took another swig of his beer.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready to go exploring!" Tristan said, overly optimistically as he tried to cheer Yuugi up. Yuugi appreciated the gesture.

Joey perked up immediately, abandoning the Tea topic completely. "Yeah!" he cheered, jumping to his feet and pulling Yuugi up with him. Thankfully, they'd both drained their beers enough so that Joey's impulsiveness hadn't caused the alcohol to slosh down the front of their shirts. "Let's go check out da beach!"

Tristan and Yuugi both laughed, the merriment thankfully restored to the room. Gathering their half empty drinks, the three left the house and walked towards the sea, their eyes glowing with a childish curiosity and longing for adventure.

-o-

"Dis ain't a beach," Joey commented critically as they stumbled along the rocky shore line.

"Sure it is Joey," Yuugi soothed. "See all of the tide pools, and the seaweed stuck in the rocks?"

"Yeah I see all dat fine," Joey said. "What I don't see is da sand."

"Well, technically sand is just crushed rocks," Yuugi pointed out cheekily, receiving a glare in return.

"Thanks Yuug'," Joey said acidly, shoving his smaller friend playfully.

"It's just a different type of beach," Tristan said, steadying Yuugi without missing a beat. He was used to their horseplay, and even more used to preventing the accidents that came from it.

"Not much fun," Joey said sullenly.

"Not fun?" Yuugi said, faking astonishment, "that's because you don't know where to look. Come on guys, I'll show you what Mr. Marine Biologist learned and maybe it'll change your minds."

So, the afternoon passed with the three friends examining tide pools, Yuugi pointing out the various plants and animals in each. Every so often, he embellished the creatures to keep Joey interested, but for the most part, he was just reciting his textbooks. There had been some interesting finds though: starfish, sand dollars, sea anemone and Joey's favorite, a large hermit crab.

"Wow Yuugi," Tristan said as they walked back up to the cottage, "I'm impressed! You sure learned a lot in Hawaii."

Yuugi laughed. "Well, I was at school for eight years," he quipped, "I'm glad I didn't waste it. Just wait though, next time you guys come down, I'll teach you how to surf!"

"Whoa, sick!" Joey exclaimed. "Where'd ya learn that?"

"My friend, Malik, was a surfing instructor," Yuugi explained.

"Oh yeah, ya told us about him," Joey said, snapping his fingers as he remembered. "He's da Hawaiian guy who went ta school wit ya, wit da long hair right?"

"Yeah." Yuugi said, "I'm surprised you remembered."

"I would neva' forget anytin you wrote Yuug'," Joey joked, crossing a hand over his heart. "After all, it's all I had a ya buddy!"

Though Yuugi knew Joey was just teasing, he saw the true happiness in Joey's hazel eyes. Smiling, he said, "I missed you too Joey." Joey slung an arm around Yuugi's shoulders.

"Still, surfing sounds great!" Joey exclaimed after a moment, Tristan muttering in agreement. "We'll come back tomorrow!" Joey continued impulsively.

"Joey, we have to work tomorrow, remember?" Tristan reminded. "You know work, like your _job_?"

"Oh," Joey said, deflating.

"Say, that reminds me Yuug'," Tristan said, turning to face his friend. "Don't you have to work at some point? Where're you at again?"

"Yeah, tomorrow as well," Yuugi replied sheepishly. "It's a huge complex just outside of Seattle."

"Whoa, that's pretty far for you," Joey acknowledged. "Ain't dat like a hour drive at least?"

"Yeah, around that," Yuugi said, "but it's completely worth it. I'm interning at one of the best Marine Analysis centers in the world. It's really hard to get accepted at KaibaCorp."

"Kaiba?" Joey snarled, "Dat bastard!"

Yuugi jumped at Joey's outburst, having rarely seen his usually calm albeit crude best friend lose his cool. Turning his violet eyes to Tristan in confusion, he waited for the brunette to calm the irate Joey before receiving his explanation.

"Joey. _Joey_!" Tristan said forcefully, shaking his blonde friend. "Relax man! Gozaburo Kaiba's the one that owns the Kaiba empire of amusement parks, remember? Not _Seto_ Kaiba!"

"Same family," Joey spat, "I bet Goza-whateva' his name is, is a complete bastard as well!"

"What did I miss?" Yuugi asked slowly, looking between an exasperated Tristan and a furious Joey.

"Oh, Joey got into it with Seto Kaiba a couple of months back," Tristan explained. "Joey and I were coming out of McNasty's and Kaiba nearly ran Joey over with his motorcycle. And well, you know Joey, he doesn't take that kind of thing well."

"Da son of a bitch tried ta blame it on me!" Joey screeched. "He even took me ta court!"

"And he didn't get any money out of it," Tristan reminded, over enunciating each word like one would who was explaining something to an infant.

"But he still tried," Joey snarled, "I hate people like dat; who tink just 'cause dey have money dat dey get ta walk all over da rest of us!"

"Well, Tristan's right," Yuugi rushed, trying to calm Joey down before he really went off the deep end. "I work for Gozaburo-" he wisely left the word 'Kaiba' out, "-for the marine research division. It's where we study new creatures and prepare new aquarium attractions for his sea parks. Only the best work for him."

"That's why you got the job," Tristan said kindly. Yuugi smiled in thanks.

"Well, as long as it's nothin' to do with Seto, I guess I'm all right wit it," Joey mumbled. "Okay you can go ta work tomorrow."

"Thanks Joey," Yuugi said, trying to keep the sarcasm from entering his voice. Luckily, Joey didn't notice it.

"Just looking out for ya buddy."

"Well Joey," Tristan said after a moment, checking his silver watch. "It's nearly seven thirty; we should head back to the city so Yuugi can get ready for his big day."

"Yeah, you're right Tristan," Joey replied reluctantly, "Sure you'll be all right Yuug'?"

"Don't worry about me," Yuugi smiled, "remember, I used to live here every summer. I think I can figure anything out that goes wrong."

Yuugi walked his two friends back to Tristan's black Jeep, and watched with a fond smile as the two jumped in, once again through the back. Yuugi had to wonder if they ever used the doors.

"Well give us a call if ya need anythin'," Joey said, as Tristan started the engine. "We'll be right how here if you're in trouble. We hooked dos phones up for a reason!"

"Will do Joey," Yuugi answered, "and once I get my laptop running, I'll send you both an email okay?"

"Sure thing Yuugi," Tristan said, as he threw the car into reverse and pulled an impressive U-Turn so that the Jeep was facing the forest. "Good luck tomorrow, I'm sure your first day'll be awesome! We'll see ya soon man!"

"Thanks guys," Yuugi called, "for everything!"

"Bye!" Joey shouted over the engine, as the SUV lurched forward. Yuugi watched the car until it sped out of sight, before returning to his cottage.

-o-

"It's always lonely when those two leave," Yuugi said to himself as he walked through the front door. "Maybe I should get a pet or something. I've always wanted a cat."

Truth be told, Yuugi wasn't sure if he'd have time to care for _anything_ once his work began, even himself. He had heard that Gozaburo was ruthless on his interns, and often kept them working well past nine on weekdays. Still, he was doing his best to remain optimistic, and he was certainly looking forward to tomorrow.

Grabbing a glass of water from the kitchen, Yuugi walked into his still bare bedroom and began unpacking a single box, filled with his most precious treasures. He carefully plucked a dried lei, handmade by Ishizu, from the top, and wrapped it around his door knob. Next came the pictures; one of his parents, one of Joey and Tristan, and one of himself with the Ishtars. Those, he set on top of his mahogany dresser, along with some of his favorite knick knacks: shells he'd found in Hawaii, a couple of movie stubs from films he'd really enjoyed, a box that Rishid had carved from drift wood, and his trusty radio clock.

The box soon emptied, until there was only one thing left inside. The velvet pouch, that Yuugi supposed had once been used to store jewelry, contained only two things; a strip of photographs taken in a cheap booth at a mall, and a silver ring. Both were old and probably the equivalent of emotional poison, but Yuugi couldn't bring himself to throw them out. Pulling out the photo, he ignored his own smiling face and looked instead at a pair of crystal blue eyes.

_She looks beautiful_, Yuugi mused, as he looked at Tea's heart shaped face for the first time in nearly two years. And she was; tall, with a glossy brown bob, full red lips and angular eyes, she was anybody's, including Yuugi's, dream girl. _The dream girl who broke your heart_, he reminded himself dully, sliding the picture back into the pouch. He hadn't looked at it in awhile, but like a heroin addict, he always ended up coming back. Joey's reminder that afternoon had certainly not helped.

Next, he pulled out the silver ring and absentmindedly slipped it on his left ring finger. It was a simple band with no embellishments, save for an engraving along the inside. It simply said '_forever_'. She'd given it to him on their first anniversary. He was surprised that it still fit.

Taking the ring off, he quickly shoved it back into the velvet pouch. Pulling the drawstrings shut, probably more tightly than was necessary, he opened his top drawer and placed it near the back, behind a pile of mismatched white socks. Maybe this time it would be there to stay.

The silence was suddenly driving Yuugi crazy; his hands quickly found his radio and he flicked on the power button. It took a moment to tune, but soon the room was filled with cheerful 70's music. Yuugi absolutely loved the old stuff, though he obviously hadn't been alive when it came out.

He quickly fell into his nightly routine, and before long, the lights were out and Yuugi lay cuddled in his new bed, choosing to leave the radio on but turned down. He hadn't done this in awhile, and normally he wouldn't condone wasting electricity like that, but what with today's excitement and what he expected would be an even greater excitement tomorrow, he was finding it difficult to sleep. Every now and then, a thought of Tea would weave its way through his already hectic mind, making it even harder. Eventually though, he fell into a fitful sleep and a dream he'd been plagued with many times before began to play; one of beautiful beaches, endless seas, the shine of Tea's hair in the sunlight, and the scent of her mint shampoo.


	2. Chapter One

**WARNINGS: **Eh, some bad humour, that's about it this time. Oh, and there's probably some spelling/grammar mistakes as well.

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the characters.

**GENERAL NOTES: **Thank you for the reviews, I really appreciate it when you guys take the time to comment on my work. I'm still laying some groundwork for the future, as I've decided to lengthen this story significantly past what I had had planned, so bare with me! Once again, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy Chapter One!

**-Maelstrom-**

_By: WhisperingWorlds_

**Chapter One: It's Off to Work We Go**

Yuugi awoke to the shrill sound of his alarm and took a moment to remind himself why he had chosen to live so far away from work. _It's beautiful, it's peaceful and I didn't have to pay for it_, he mentally listed, rubbing his violet eyes with the palms of his hand. With an annoyed slap of his hand he turned off the irritating whine of his clock and slowly got out of bed.

Making his way to the bathroom, Yuugi paused to look at his reflection in the mirror. _Oh god_, he thought vainly. After twenty six years, he still hadn't gotten used to his own terrifying reflection first thing in the morning; his dark hair was a scraggly mess, his usually large eyes were squinting and bloodshot, and a trail of dried drool ran from the corner of his lips. Wiping the spittle from his mouth, he set about repairing the damage he saw in the only ways he knew how: a long shower, and lots of coffee.

It finally hit him part way through his morning routine. _My internship starts today_, he cheered in excitement, and he let out a great whoop of enthusiasm. It was the moment he'd been waiting for since he'd had his degree handed to him two months ago, the day he'd finally get to do what he loved. He suddenly felt a lot more awake, and he brushed his teeth with a little more passion than usual.

He quickly dressed in dark jeans, a black polo, and his smart leather shoes. After a moment's hesitation, he decided to add the shark tooth earring and the Maori necklace he cherished too; he had looked through the dress code a few days ago, and he knew that jewelry wasn't a dress code violation. Besides, it felt nice having a bit of his friends, Rishid, Malik and Ishizu with him. He knew they were extremely proud of him back in Maui.

Breakfast was simple, a bagel and butter and several cups of coffee, and before Yuugi knew it, he was in his rusty red pick-up truck, beginning the long drive to KaibaCorp. He drove expertly through the large forest surrounding his home, taking extra care to avoid the low hanging cedar branches, some of which were as thick as he was around!

The forest soon gave way to the sea side again, and the gravel road was replaced by pavement. There were no other cars on the road, and if Yuugi squinted, he could see the silver roof of his destination glinting in the early morning sunlight, about forty miles down the coast. His face broke into a radiant smile and he whooped in excitement, tapping the steering wheel with his fingers.

_I really need some music_, he mused, after his impromptu drum solo. He quickly fiddled with the dial on his radio until he found a station that worked, and grinned as he heard one of his favorite songs. Turning up the volume, he soon found himself singing along.

"_Uptown girl, she's my uptown girl!_" he belted as best as he could along with the radio. Ishizu had told him that his voice wasn't bad, though he'd never make it as a singer. 'About the same as Rishid's, though a couple of octaves higher, and a hundred times better than Malik's,' had been her exact words, causing Yuugi to laugh. Malik really _did_ suck at singing.

Touching the steering wheel, Yuugi began to think about Maui. He chose his favorite memories, ones that would make him laugh, to quell his nervous excitement. Playing darts with Rishid, cooking lessons with Ishizu, Malik drinking Jungle Juice until he passed out, sunset surfing… the good times were endless. It was so much more _relaxed_ in Hawaii, as though everybody had a schedule but no one actually cared about it. Here, he was afraid to be even a minute late.

With that thought, Yuugi sped up, and kept his slightly above legal speed all the way to KaibaCorp. Once he had arrived, the sheer size of the complex nearly blew him away. Bigger than his entire university had been and built on a sea-side cliff, it was very modern looking, and painted a bright white that glowed in the light. There were more windows than most buildings, and it had at least ten floors. On one side, a massive dome shaped structure stood over twenty stories high, and sloped downwards towards the sea.

Yuugi left his truck in the area marked for Visitor's Parking, and proceeded through a pair of automatic glass doors into the main lobby. The inside was just as spectacular as the outside, or maybe even more so. Once again, it was painted entirely white, with the words 'KaibaCorp, Marine Analysis Division' painted in large letters above the secretary's desk. However, what fascinated Yuugi more than anything else was the single aquarium, filled with bright, tropical fish, that ran along the entire building's perimeter, built into the walls.

"Hi cutie," a female voice chirped from the receptionist's desk, and Yuugi blushed upon realizing that he had done nothing but stare at the fish tanks for several minutes. He turned his violet eyes to the secretary and smiled. She was charming in a sweet way, probably a few years younger than himself, with freckles and long blonde hair. "You have an appointment today?" she asked, plastering a practiced smile on her face.

"No," Yuugi replied with what he hoped was confidence. "I'm Yuugi Mutou, Mr. Kaiba's new intern."

"Oh!" the receptionist exclaimed, smiling genuinely now. "Nice to meet to you! I'm Rebecca," she said, holding out her hand. Yuugi shook it firmly. "I'll let Mr. Kaiba know you've arrived; I think he's on the upper levels right now, so it might take a sec for me to find him."

"No worries," Yuugi said pleasantly, as he walked back over to the aquarium and peered inside with fascination. He smiled as an orange clownfish paused in its explorations and cautiously gazed at him. He waved cheerfully at the little fish, but it quickly lost interest and swam away.

"Okay, I've just called Mr. Kaiba and he's on his way. You can sit down if you'd like," Rebecca said, indicating the comfortable, white leather couch near her desk. Her tone indicated that she was a little surprised that Yuugi hadn't done so on his own.

"Oh, no thank you," Yuugi replied politely, "I'd much rather stand. You have a beautiful aquarium."

"You're definitely a marine biologist," Rebecca said giggling. "But I'll be honest, I like the fish too. We don't get many visitors, and they keep me company during the day. Let me know if you see an orange, spiky seahorse. That's Seabiscuit and he's my favorite."

"Seabiscuit," Yuugi said, amused. "Very clever. Well, I don't see him, but if he's orange with black spikes, then my guess is that he's from West Australia."

"I love Australians," Rebecca joked, flipping her long hair over her shoulder.

"Well, then Seabiscuit's the right seahorse for you," Yuugi bantered back. "Actually, seahorses go through a mating ritual similar to that of humans; they've got the courtships, the mating itself, and all sorts of mate guarding once that's done. Some species are even monogamous, meaning they mate for life."

"Well," a deep voice said, "I'm impressed. It seems that my new intern has done his homework."

Yuugi spun on his heel the moment he heard the foreign voice speak and he turned his violet gaze onto a tall, middle aged man, who was leaning casually against an empty door frame. He had black hair that was streaked with gray, slightly tanned skin, and was dressed in black slacks and a long, white lab coat. However, what Yuugi noticed most were his eyes; they were light blue but hard, almost cruel. Though the man was smiling, the smile didn't quite reach those cold eyes, and it made Yuugi even more nervous.

"Welcome to KaibaCorp, Yuugi Mutou. I am Gozaburo Kaiba," the man said firmly. "Do as you're told, and I'm sure we'll get along fine."

"Nice to meet, Mr. Kaiba," Yuugi greeted, "and I promise I'll work really hard."

"Good," Mr. Kaiba replied, his grin broadening in a way that only made him look even more terrifying. "Well, if you would follow me, I'm going to give you a quick tour of our facilities and show you where you'll be working today."

"Sounds great," Yuugi said, walking towards his new boss. "Nice meeting you Rebecca," he called over his shoulder, as he and Mr. Kaiba strode away.

"Good luck Yuugi," the receptionist chimed back, before a phone call quickly stole her attention. "Good morning, KaibaCorp…"

Mr. Kaiba led Yuugi into a long, white corridor, pointing out various rooms of interest as they passed by. Libraries, research laboratories and computer stations passed in an endless whirl until Mr. Kaiba brought Yuugi to a large locker room.

"This is the main changing room," Mr. Kaiba said, indicating the large showers and benches. Yuugi was impressed; the room looked like the inside of a spa (which Yuugi swore he had only seen on TV and not visited himself). The showers were equipped with shampoo, conditioner, soap dispensers and a shelf of fluffy white towels. There was also a row of small vanity tables, mirrors and various types of lotion along the far wall. "As you can see, we at KaibaCorp like to take care of our employees. You are free to use these facilities whenever you like, though I encourage you to wait until the end of the day. This is the key to your locker, 2662," Mr. Kaiba said, handing Yuugi a small chain with a single key on the end. "Inside, you will find your lab coat, your notebook, and your ID badge. Be sure to keep all three with you, as lab coats are mandatory at all times, and some doors require you scan your badge. You have clearance for all doors marked Level Four and below."

Yuugi quickly got the hint and strode over to his locker. Throwing on his lab coat, he clipped the ID badge to his breast pocket and slipped his notebook into a special slot on the inside of his coat. Locking the locker quickly, he dashed back to the patiently waiting CEO of KaibaCorp, who then immediately continued with the tour.

"Over there you have the Large Marine Animal laboratories," Mr. Kaiba said, pointing towards the giant dome that Yuugi had seen when he was driving in, "of which there are four. If you continue through the laboratories, you will find a path outside which leads to our small marina. We often have deliveries come via ship, simply because it's more convenient. You have access to all levels of the marina, and I expect you to help with unloading."

"Okay," Yuugi affirmed, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his coat nervously.

"Showing your latest little protégé around, father?" an arrogant voice asked from behind Yuugi. Yuugi spun around to see a tall brunette watching Mr. Kaiba with a haughty expression on his pointy face.

"That's enough Seto," Mr. Kaiba reprimanded coldly. "You will speak kindly of and to our employees. Furthermore, with your workload, you should not have the time to pester either myself or the interns. If you find that you have the spare time to do so, I will be happy to add to your duties."

Seto Kaiba huffed and rolled his ice blue eyes. "They're not worth my time anyway," he hissed angrily, before stalking away. Yuugi could see why Joey disliked the Kaiba heir; he was definitely unkind. As Yuugi resumed walking next to the elder Mr. Kaiba, he vowed to avoid this Seto at all costs.

-o-

The tour continued for nearly an hour, as Yuugi learned the ins and outs of KaibaCorp. There were hundreds of rooms: offices, tons of research labs, object recovery rooms where treasure was brought back from sunken ships and restored, a cafeteria, and even exercise gyms for the employees. Yuugi had been slightly off with his earlier guess; there were twelve floors, not ten, as two were located underground. Yuugi was told that these were the rooms that contained highly confidential material, so he was justifiably surprised to learn that this was where he'd be conducting most of his work.

Mr. Kaiba showed Yuugi around the sub-basement, a single, long corridor that contained several more research labs, some offices (one of which was his own), and a large board room that Mr. Kaiba only used for a few select meetings. However, when they passed a closed door at the end of the hall that, unlike the rest, had no window, Mr. Kaiba ignored it completely; something that he had not done before.

"Mr. Kaiba," Yuugi asked hesitantly, believing that the busy man might have just overlooked it. "What's in that room?"

"That's Top Secret," Mr. Kaiba explained, never slowing his pace, "We've been working on that particular project for over twenty years." He grinned. "Maybe someday I'll let you see for yourself."

Yuugi allowed his gaze to linger on the door longer than usual, but soon he was forced to jog back to Mr. Kaiba's side. He doubted he would even see the inside of that room, but he couldn't help but wonder what it contained.

"And here's the man I've been looking for," Mr. Kaiba said suddenly, snapping Yuugi from his inner musings. "Yuugi, this is Dr. Pegasus, our Head Marine Biologist. Max, this is Yuugi Mutou, your new intern."

"Pleasure Yuugi," Dr. Pegasus droned, his voice flowing with an accent that Yuugi didn't recognize. Yuugi politely greeted the man in return, all the while studying the doctor's somewhat eccentric appearance. He had very long, white-blonde hair that he had tied in a low pony tail, pale skin, a very angular face, and slanting brown eyes.

"Max, I have a meeting I need to prepare for," Mr. Kaiba said once the formalities had been completed. "Yuugi will be working with you in the Marine Research Department. Please show him his duties and brief him on our schedule for the next week."

With that, Mr. Kaiba turned on his heel and stalked away. Yuugi could still hear his heavy footsteps on the white tiled floor, even after the CEO had disappeared from view. "Well, Yuugi boy," the taller man exclaimed, "it looks like you're all mine for the foreseeable future."

_Yikes_, Yuugi thought uneasily, but he refused to allow any of his discomfort show on his face. This Pegasus guy sort of creeped him out. "It's too bad I won't get to spend as much time with you as I would like," Dr. Pegasus continued sadly, causing Yuugi to exhale in relief. "I'm afraid one of our projects has been giving us some trouble lately. I do hope you don't mind, but I promise you won't be alone long!" Pegasus chuckled happily and clapped his hands together.

_Is this the fine line between madness and brilliance?_ Yuugi wondered in astonishment. _Dr. Pegasus is easily the weirdest man I've ever met._

"I'm used to researching," Yuugi replied casually, once again nervously stuffing his hands in his pockets. He worried that this would become a habit. "Eight years at university will do that to you!"

"Oh I suppose it will," Pegasus commented, fixing Yuugi with an intent stare. "College fine-tunes all _kinds _of talents, doesn't it Yuugi boy?"

Yuugi felt a blush rising to his cheeks and quickly looked away. Pegasus continued to gaze at him for several moments longer than necessary, before snapping his fingers and exclaiming, "Well, it's time for me to get you started. I'd like to put you in the lab today, so you can brush up on your skills. In fact, I've got the perfect job for you… although I guess you could say it 'blows'."

Yuugi had to force himself not to run far, far away.

-o-

As it turned out, Dr. Pegasus's humour wasn't sick, it was merely bad. That being said, Yuugi had never felt more relieved to be studying the poisonous properties of blowfish venom before in his life. Though it was pretty boring work, Yuugi still completed test after test with a smile on his face and a bounce in his step.

"Hey little guy," he chirped happily to the oblivious, currently inflated blowfish that bobbed in the water obliviously. It was clearly unhappy with all of the poking and prodding it was being subjected to, but it nonetheless gazed back curiously at the strange, purple eyed monster on the other side of the glass. Tapping the tank softly, Yuugi watched in amazement as the fish darted away, surprisingly speedy considering its size.

Yuugi laughed in contentment, and soon began entering his findings into the computer system. Though he was definitely not a whiz when it came to technology, data entry was easy enough. Suddenly, an alarm chimed next to his work station, causing him to jump.

_12:00, _Yuugi thought, checking the clock on the bottom of his computer screen, _is it lunch time already?_ The morning had _flown_ by, much to his surprise. _Well, let's see if I can remember where the cafeteria is,_ he thought as he logged out and turned off the monitor. "See you soon," he said to the blowfish, which was still hiding in the far corner of its tank.

Ten minutes later, Yuugi found himself wandering through the clinical hallways, completely and utterly lost. "Why is this place so _big?_" he moaned, looking all around him and hoping that something would jog his memory.

A voice behind him laughed and Yuugi turned to glare at whoever was mocking him. "Wow," a green eyed man with long black hair said kindly, "your glare packs some punch. Chill, I wasn't laughing at _you_. I completely agree for what it's worth, but 'bigger is better' is like Mr. Kaiba's personal motto."

Yuugi smiled shyly and held out his hand. "I'm Yuugi Mutou, Dr. Pegasus's new intern."

"Duke Devlin," the other man said, shaking Yuugi's hand. "And ouch! Interning for Peggy. What a bitch!"

"He's… nice," Yuugi said awkwardly, feeling somewhat obligated to defend his boss. Duke held up his hands in surrender.

"Never said he wasn't," Duke replied, "but I work with the guy on occasion. I know what he's like. How many times has he hit on you today?"

"Er, a few," Yuugi said, leaving it at that. Duke just laughed.

"What are you doing, wandering through the halls?" Duke then asked, changing the topic. "I would have thought that Peggy would be keeping you locked away. Then again, knowing him, he probably just dropped you off in some random lab right?"

"Basically," Yuugi replied, already warming to Duke. He liked the man; Duke seemed very relaxed and friendly. "I've been studying blowfish all morning. As for why I'm 'wandering the halls'," Yuugi said, gesturing to the long white corridor in front of his, "I'm trying to find the cafeteria, but this whole damn place looks the exact same!"

"Ooh blowfish," Duke replied sarcastically. "Sounds like a blast. But, you're in luck Peggy's Intern, I was just headed to the caf myself. Allow me to escort you."

"Thanks," Yuugi said gratefully. Duke smiled at him, before walking in the direction that Yuugi had been going.

-o-

It turned out Yuugi had been in the right spot, only about three floors above where he wanted to be. Still, getting lost was the best thing that had happened to him that morning; he had finally made a friend. On the way to lunch, Yuugi learned a bit about his new companion; he was from Michigan, and was only a few years older than Yuugi himself. He was also incredibly brilliant, and had graduated at the top of his class with a degree in Marine Genetics.

They soon arrived at a pair of double doors with large windows. "Well, here we are," Duke said, pushing the doors open dramatically. "Welcome to the cafeteria."

The first thing Yuugi noticed when he walked through the door was the dull buzzing of voices; the cafeteria was already pretty full. The room itself was incredibly spacious and bright, with hundreds of large bay windows. Like the rest of KaibaCorp, it was painted white, with matching tiles on the floor. Hundreds of people in lab coats sat on mahogany benches, casually talking and eating at matching long tables.

"Yo Devlin!" a male voice shouted over the crowd from somewhere near the back, where a tanned man with dark, spiky hair was waving spastically. "What took you so long man!"

"Come on, let's go grab some food and I'll introduce you to the gang," Duke said, gesturing to his left, where several tables of food were arranged buffet style. "The food here's sweet, so load up!"

Yuugi ended up choosing a sensible Greek salad and sushi, having not eaten anything remotely healthy in a long time. Carrying his tray, he waited for Duke to finish loading up four or five plates, before following the geneticist to the back of the cafeteria.

"Hey guys," Duke greeted, as they approached three people seated at one of the long tables, two men and a woman. He quickly slid onto the bench, and indicated for Yuugi to do the same. "This is Yuugi Mutou, Peggy's new intern."

The one who had shouted to Duke earlier began to laugh. "Oh wow man, that must be fun," he joked, holding out his hand. "I'm Mako Tsunami, marine biologist."

"He's pretty interesting," Yuugi agreed, shaking Mako's hand firmly, "and with a name like 'Tsunami', I kinda figured that's what you had to be."

Mako laughed heartily. "Damn right!" he cheered. Duke rolled his green eyes, before indicating the other two members at the table.

"Yuugi, this is Mahado Cian and Mana Diego. Mahado's our chief mechanical engineer; you should some of the crazy shit he's come up with! And Mana's an intern just like you, except she reports to Mahado."

"Nice to meet you!" Yuugi greeted. Mahado smiled warmly, and Mana gave him a little wave. Mahado was very tall, with tanned skin and short, purply black hair. Mana, on the other hand, was about Yuugi's height, with medium brown locks and kind blue eyes.

"Hi Yuugi," Mana chimed cutely, plucking a strawberry from her plate and devouring it. "Welcome to KaibaCorp!"

"Thanks," he replied, tucking into his salad. "How long have you been here, Mana?"

"Oh, about a year," she replied, giggling. "Mahado- I mean, Dr. Cian's been really great to me; he's an awesome teacher."

"Suck up," Mako joked, nibbling on a skewered fish.

"Am not," Mana puffed indignantly. Yuugi glanced at Mahado and saw the fond exasperation in his eyes, leading him to believe that these little spats occurred very often.

"Yo, did you guys hear Bakura and Dartz going at it today?" Duke asked suddenly, whistling under his breath. "Man, I've never seen Dartz lose his cool like that! I could hear them right through the floor."

"Whatever, Bakura's a total pain in the ass, he probably deserved it," Mako commented uninterestedly.

"Dartz is second in command to Pegasus," Duke informed Yuugi, who looked totally lost at this point. "He doesn't really talk all that much, but he's an amazing geneticist, I really look up to him. Bakura, on the other hand, is a complete snake."

"A snake who just happens to be one of the best biologists in the country," Mana reminded, still enjoying her strawberries.

"Yeah, whatever," Mako drawled. "He's a first class jerk, I've thought so since the day he started here. By the way, Yuugi, cool necklace," he said, gesturing to the pendant around Yuugi's chest, "Maori eh? I used to live in Hawaii."

"I went to school in Maui," Yuugi smiled, pausing from his Greek salad to run his fingers along the polished ivory carving.

Everyone but Mahado turned to stare at him. "Whoa, were you at the University of Hawaii? Do you know Mai Valentine?"

"Sure," Yuugi asked, a little surprised. "She was few years ahead of me though. Blonde girl, really pretty?"

"Yep, that's Mai," Duke confirmed.

"Why'd you ask?" Yuugi questioned curiously.

"She used to work here," Mana explained, "until about nine months ago, when she randomly marched up to Mr. Kaiba's office and announced that 'she couldn't do it anymore' so she quit. It was kind of a scandal around here for awhile; no one really knew why she left."

"Real shame," Mako said, shaking his head sadly. Mana scowled.

"You're just saying that because you thought she was hot!" Mana accused boldly.

"So what?" Mako asked, looking completely unabashed. "Don't judge me Yuugi til you've spent a couple of months here and the sexiest thing you have to look at is the underside of a starfish."

"What about me?" Mana asked dangerously.

"I said 'sexy' Mana, not irritating," Mako snapped back.

"You are both such children," Mahado commented, speaking for the first time. Yuugi liked his voice, it was soothing. "Mana, behave. I don't have any control over Devlin or Tsunami, but you are my intern."

Mana shot daggers at her teacher, but still mumbled her assent. Duke laughed at her silently, and she quickly checked to see if Mahado was looking before she stuck out her tongue.

"I did see that," the big man said, amused, causing Mana to blush until she matched the colour of her strawberries. "I'm going to step in before it escalates again. Come on Mana, it's time to head back to work."

Mana obediently rose from her seat, collected both herself and Mahado's cafeteria trays and marched them over to the conveyor belt several feet away. Once she returned, Mahado rose from his seat and bid the gang farewell.

"Bye boys!" Mana chirped, as the two engineers turned to go. "And nice meeting you Yuugi!" she called, before rushing after Mahado. Yuugi could hear her chattering loudly with the older man until the two had disappeared from view.

"Well, I'm gonna take a hint from Mahado and head back to the books," Mako said after a moment, slamming his hands down onto the table. "I'll talk to Pegasus next time I see him and see if we can't work together sometime, Yuugi! It'll be nice to have someone to talk to."

"Well, someone other than the sexy starfish," Yuugi teased, causing Mako to laugh. Yuugi chose to leave off telling them about the conversations he'd had with the blowfish that morning.

"Exactly," Mako winked. He quickly cleared his tray, and before Yuugi knew it, his too had vanished from the table. He looked up in time to see Mako depositing both trays onto the conveyor belt, before disappearing out the door.

"I guess that's our cue huh?" Duke asked. "I hope you were done eating. I can take you back to- um, where do you work again?"

"Oh, I'm down in the sub-basement," Yuugi replied shrugging. "And yep, I'm good to go when you are!"

"Whoa, sub-basement!" Duke exclaimed excitedly, "are you, like, in the Top Secret area or something?"

"Not even!" Yuugi laughed, "I've just been in the lab all morning, playing with the blowfish, remember?"

"Still, it must be pretty cool down there," Duke said. "I've never been down there myself; I don't have the clearance," he finished, making air quotes around the word 'clearance'.

"It's not all that great," Yuugi disagreed, "It's pretty quiet, and dark because there aren't any windows. I'm not authorized to see any of the real exciting stuff either."

"Well, you're closer to it than most of us get," Duke joked. "Come on, Mr. Important Sub Basementer. I can get you to the elevator at least. Let's head out!"

-o-

The afternoon passed in a haze, and before Yuugi knew it, he had made the long trip back his cottage and was lying comfortably on his bed, talking amicably into his phone.

"Sounds like ya had a great day," Joey's voice said over the line. "Though da Pegasus guy sounds like a pedophile. Ha, the 'Pegaphile'. I crack myself up."

"Joey!" Yuugi laughed. "I'm not a kid anymore, even if he was hitting on me, there's nothing illegal about it anymore."

"You could probably press harassment charges if you really wanted to," Tristan commented on the other end.

"No!" Yuugi admonished, "he's my boss! I don't want to get him fired!"

"You're a weird guy, Yuug'," Joey noted, "gettin' der bosses fired is _exactly_ what most people wanna do." Yuugi rolled his violet eyes, though he knew Joey couldn't see him.

"He's better than most, he kind of just let me do my own thing," Yuugi explained. "So what if he made me a bit uncomfortable."

"If ya say so Yuug'," Joey said, sounding completely unconvinced. "Anyways, we'd better call it a night. I gotta get up early in da mornin', coverin' for dis guy at da coffee shop. Glad ya first day went great."

"Thanks Joey," Yuugi said. "Night guys. Oh, wait! Wanna come down next weekend? The weather's supposed to great, and I promised you guys I'd teach you how to surf!"

"That'd be great Yuugi!" Tristan enthused, "We'll see you on Saturday okay? G'night buddy!"

"Sleep tight," Yuugi smiled into the phone.

"Don't let da big, bad Pegasus bite!" Joey called back, and Yuugi laughed as he heard Tristan cuff him.

"Night!" Yuugi said once more, before clicking off the phone. Setting the handset back into the cradle, he flicked off his bed side lamp and crawled beneath the covers.

_I didn't realize how tired I was_, Yuugi thought, yawning. Tucking his head onto his pillow, Yuugi fell into what he hoped would be a better night's sleep than the last.

-o-

He _hated _them. He hated the creatures who hurt him, frightened him, prodded at him; the creatures who looked at him with no warmth in their soulless eyes. He was miserable here, he had been for who knows how long, and yet, they didn't even _care_. And they wondered why he attacked them any chance he got!

Red eyes flashed in the darkness, as a shadow slid through the black water, being careful to avoid the glass walls of his confinement. He hated this place almost as much as he hated the two legged creatures who toyed with him day in and day out. It was too small, and too… artificial? This was a strange thought, for as far as he knew, he had never been anywhere else in his life.

Growling to himself, he allowed his body to sink to the floor and curled up into his customary sleeping ball. He would make them all pay for the injustices he suffered one day. He was sure of it. With that thought, crimson eyes slid shut, and he fell into oblivion, dreaming the same bloody dreams of vengeance that he had in the endless nights before. They were all he had.

The song Yuugi's singing in his truck is Uptown Girl by Billy Joel.


	3. Chapter Two

**WARNINGS: **Blood, somewhat graphic description of injury, a bit of swearing; oh, and Pegasus is still being his lecherous self. As always, spelling and grammar will be iffy; though I try to edit as best as I can.

**DISCLAIMER: **I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the characters.

**GENERAL NOTES: **This chapter gave me some grief; but I've tweaked it to the point that I'm mostly happy with it. The plot's _finally_ moving along now, so hopefully it does not disappoint. As always, thanks for the kind words, you guys keep me going and encourage me to get through chapters far faster than I had ever dreamed! I'm still not entirely sure where this fic's going, so I expect my pace will slow in the upcoming weeks, but for now, I hope you enjoy Chapter Two!

**-Maelstrom-**

_By: WhisperingWorlds_

**Chapter Two: Rage Against the World**

_Hi Yuugi,_

_Haven't heard from you in a few days, I guess the work load is really catching up to you! __That or you've finally found some pretty girl to keep you busy__. Sorry for the ink splotches Yuugi, Ishizu stole the pen from me and crossed that last line out. Oh, and she says she misses you by the way, and hopes you come and visit soon! Rishid did that calm stare thing of his, so it looks like he misses you too. _

_So, I've gotta tell you about this crazy thing that happened to me a couple of days ago. Remember Mai Valentine, that really hot blonde upper year? Well, I saw her at Miss Conduct last night; you know, that club downtown that we went to a few years ago. Anyways, I got talking to her (and can I just add that she looked smokin'!) and asked her what she was doing back in Maui; and she said that she'd just quit her job at –get this- __**KaibaCorp**__! And I said, "No way! That's where Yuugi's working!" I asked her why she quit, and she got this really cold look in her eyes and said 'the place just wasn't for her'. So, I thought she was totally pissed at me for asking, and I was about to peace out, when she told me to stick around for a bit._

_Getting to the cool part; so after I bought her a few drinks (maybe more than a few, I'm practically broke now), she said she wanted to go somewhere to talk. We were both completely plastered at this point, and we wound up going back to my place. She looked kind of serious, so I thought she was gonna chew me out for asking too many questions, but instead she told me that she's always thought I was pretty cute. So, Malik did what Malik does best and… Of course, Rishid nearly killed me afterwards, saying I took advantage of her, but come on man, it was Mai Valentine! I should get a freaking medal!_

_Point of the story? Be jealous, because your best friend officially nailed the hottest girl on the planet! See all the cool shit you miss when you leave? _

_Anyways, my shift's about to start, so I gotta wrap this up (some like, a hundred year old man wants to learn how to surf and I'm pretty sure he's gonna take a heart attack on me. Lawsuit, here I come!) but crawl out from whatever rock you've been hiding under and write back soon! _

_ Cheers,_

_ Malik_

_PS- If you discover any weird sea creature, promise to name it after me! Malikus Maximus. That's pretty bad ass, don't ya think?_

Yuugi Mutou's violet eyes crinkled in mirth as he sat at his kitchen table, reading Malik's letter. Malik wrote the same way he spoke; arrogantly, but to entertain. In fact, Yuugi could almost hear his Hawaiian friend's rough voice dictating the words as he read them off of the page. Unfortunately, the wild gestures that Malik often incorporated into his speech could not be conveyed through writing; Yuugi instead had to satisfy himself with mental pictures of the tanned man flailing animatedly around as he described his extraordinary evening. _Well, he has every right to be proud_, Yuugi thought to himself, _he caught Mai Valentine. That man should buy a lottery ticket._

Yuugi reread the letter again, this time focusing on the slightly accusing, but nonetheless truthful, farewell. '_Crawl out from whatever rock you've been hiding under and write back soon!'_ Malik had written, and if Yuugi were honest with himself, the Hawaiian man did have a point. Yuugi had been so busy with work lately, he had hardly had any time left to breathe, let alone to write letters or catch up with his friends. Even surfing lessons with Joey and Tristan had had to be put on hold, despite how much Yuugi had enjoyed instructing them.

Since Yuugi had breezed through his first two weeks at KaibaCorp, his superiors had rewarded him with, in addition to his own research, piles of grunt work that they had been neglecting for months. Though Dr. Pegasus, whom Yuugi had secretly referred to as the 'Pegaphile' since Joey had coined the term, would sometimes check in (_and out_, Yuugi's mind reminded tartly) with his intern, Yuugi had been left mostly to his own devices and had had to rely on his own limited knowledge of computers to get through the day. If it had not been for his new engineering friends, Mahado and Mana, he doubted that he would have lasted a week; but thanks to their assistance, he had managed to survive a whole month.

_Speaking of work_, Yuugi thought to himself suddenly, his expressive eyes suddenly darting over to the digital clock on his stove. "Oh shit!" he screamed accusingly at the bright blue numbers, running a freckly hand through his black and blonde locks. "Seven _thirty_? I should've been out the door ten minutes ago! What a great way to start the week," he groaned sarcastically. Though Yuugi had been overjoyed to hear from Malik, he was now desperately wishing that he had done as he had originally intended and waited to read the letter until he returned home that evening. Scrambling around his quaint cottage, he quickly brushed his teeth with one hand and brushed his spiky hair with the other, all the while stumbling through his bedroom to find something to wear. If he didn't find 'work' clothes within the next thirty seconds, he decided, then rules be damned, he was going in his star pajamas!

Luckily, however, Yuugi managed to find a clean, white button down and, setting down his hairbrush, he yanked on yesterday's jeans. Racing back to the bathroom, he chucked his toothbrush into the sink to be dealt with later, before returning to his room and throwing on the shirt. Several minutes later found a badly cursing Yuugi in the driver's seat of his red pick-up truck, trying to avoid the large cedar trees that bordered his driveway.

-o-

By some miracle, he managed to arrive at KaibaCorp with two minutes to spare, and after dropping his truck off in the employee parking lot, he bolted through the automatic doors and ran through the main lobby. "Hi Rebecca!" he hollered over his shoulder as he flew by, sliding around corners as he desperately made his way to the changing rooms. He heard her shout something to do with 'shirt' in return, but he was moving far too fast to understand exactly what she had said. He eventually slowed down to a brisk walk as he reached the locker room, his face flushed with exertion and his sides heaving heavily.

"Yuugi!" Duke Devlin's voice called cheerfully, from over by the first row of lockers. Yuugi noted that the geneticist had worn his long, black hair down today, and it flowed down to his waist, contrasting starkly with his white lab coat. "Dude!" Duke laughed suddenly, his leaf green eyes widening gleefully, "you must have been in a hurry; you forgot to do up your shirt!"

Yuugi looked down at his exposed, lightly tanned chest and shrieked, immediately covering himself up. "I-I was late!" he stuttered defensively, his face now reddening with embarrassment. _So that's what Rebecca was shouting about_, he thought glumly, hastily closing the buttons and slinking over to his locker. He keyed the door open with a little more force than necessary, and withdrew his ID card, notebook and lab coat.

"So I heard Peggy's been giving you hell," Duke ventured sympathetically, attaching his own ID card to his front pocket. "Mana said she saw you taking off around 10:30 last night."

Yuugi shrugged his shoulders. "They can pretty well keep me here as long as they'd like," he muttered grumpily. "Wait, what was Mana doing here? I'm surprised that Mahado would make her stay so late!"

"Eh, they're developing some sort of new thing," Duke explained awkwardly, "I don't really know the specifics. You can probably ask Mahado about it at lunch; it's some kinda miniature scuba tank I think."

"Whoa, really?" Yuugi asked in excitement, sliding into his long lab coat, "that sounds awesome!" Yuugi absolute loved diving; he felt completely at ease in the water. Back in Hawaii, he and Malik had often gone hunting for bits of sea glass and interesting shells on their days off; in fact, most of his shelf ornaments had come from his underwater excursions.

"He'll probably let you test it out," Duke replied, winking. "He really likes you, ya know. He thinks you're a good influence on Mana."

"Only compared to you and Mako," Yuugi teased back, causing Duke to yelp in outrage. "I'll definitely ask him about it though! Anyways, I've got about a million hours of work to do today, but I'll see you at lunch Duke!"

"Bye Yuugi!" the geneticist said. "Play nice with Peggy!" Yuugi chose not to grace that comment with a reply, but he still stuck his tongue out at Duke before disappearing from the locker room.

The trip down to the infamous sub-basement was uneventful, and by now, Yuugi was used gloomy hallways. He walked confidently to his office, waving cheerfully at the familiar faces he passed, and mentally reviewed his daily checklist. _ID badge, check. Notebook, check. Office keys, check_, he ticked happily, _I'm good to go! _Arriving at his office, Yuugi placed the key in the lock, but did not open the door right away. Instead, he kept one hand on the doorknob, but allowed his eyes to stare down the hall at KaibaCorp's most intriguing mystery.

'The Door', as Yuugi dubbed it, was the lone, windowless door right at the end of Yuugi's corridor, behind which KaibaCorp conducted all of its Top Secret work. Mr. Kaiba had pointed it out to Yuugi during his tour the first day, and since then, Yuugi had been fascinated by it. He often amused himself throughout the day by cooking up wild ideas of what could possibly lay on the other side; after all, he doubted that he would _ever_ be important enough to get a real look inside. In fact, he knew of only two people who had the clearance to work in that room; Mr. Kaiba, of course, and Yuugi's boss, Dr. Maximilian Pegasus.

"Yuugi boy," a cool voice droned from behind him, causing Yuugi to whip around guiltily. _Speak of the Devil and the Devil will come_, he thought glumly.

"Dr. Pegasus," Yuugi greeted smoothly, staring at the tall man that was approaching him, his long, white hair swishing with each long stride, "how are you, sir?"

"Fantastic as always, dear boy," Dr. Pegasus replied, coming to a halt mere inches in front of Yuugi, his light brown eyes lingering inappropriately as he scanned the intern from head to toe. Yuugi quickly looked away, noticing that the lecherous marine biologist had several files clutched in his smooth, spidery hands. "Now, if you have a teensy moment to spare, I have a small favor to ask of you."

"Uh, sure," Yuugi said, stuffing his hands into his lab coat pockets. Just as he had feared, it had become a little habit of his when he was nervous. "What do you want me to do?" he asked uncertainly.

"Oh, there are _plenty _of things that I want you to do," Dr. Pegasus said, his eyes flashing in amusement, "but, what I _need_ you to do is go through these files-" he said, passing the documents to Yuugi, "and let me know if you spot anything… hum how do I say this… _intriguing_. You are, after all, our little poison specialist!"

"Um, okay," Yuugi agreed, somewhat relieved. The files didn't seem _too_ thick, meaning he could probably get through them before lunch. Not only that, but since he'd spent the first few days of his employment experimenting with blowfish venom, he had grown very interested in studying aquatic toxins. Dr. Pegasus had apparently learned of his intern's preferences, as lately most of Yuugi's assignments had revolved around the topic. With that thought, Yuugi began to casually lean towards his office door, hoping that the elder marine biologist would unconsciously get the point and leave him alone.

"Thank you," Dr. Pegasus replied, smiling widely. "Oh how I wish I had the time to create a little _army_ of Yuugis to attend to all of my needs. I would be lost without you, darling boy." As if to emphasize his point, Dr. Pegasus patted Yuugi's spiky head. "But for now, I'll not let the one I have go to waste."

"Right," Yuugi said, unsure of how to answer. "Well, lots of work to sir," he mentioned abruptly. "I'll get this done right away. See you soon!" With that, Yuugi yanked on his door and threw himself inside.

"I look forward to it," Dr. Pegasus sing-songed in reply. Yuugi hoped his shudder went unnoticed as he slammed the door a little more loudly than he had intended.

-o-

The files, as it turned out, were filled with scientific articles about a rare breed of poisonous cuttlefish. _Pfeffer's Flamboyant Cuttlefish, _Yuugi's brain supplied. Though they were definitely unique, beautifully coloured and amusing as anything with such a name would imply, Yuugi had cruised through the articles with his usual speed, and come noon, he was happily replacing the last document in its appropriate file. Stretching his arms, Yuugi pushed off from his desk, allowing the rolling wheels on his chair to carry him part way across the room, before grabbing his effects and heading down to lunch.

"So, Duke was telling me about some sort of mini scuba tank you're working on?" Yuugi asked Mahado, once the group had settled down at their usual table, trays filled with fried fish, chips and garden salad. The cafeteria was filling quickly, and Yuugi had to raise his voice somewhat to be heard.

"That man has no respect for my work," Mahado grumbled in return, narrowing his lilac eyes at the offending geneticist, who was currently chatting away a mile a minute with his intern, Mana Diego. "Miniature scuba tank indeed!" he huffed, crossing his lean arms.

"So, what is it?" Yuugi pressed respectfully, nibbling on his fish.

"It's a state of the art particle converter," Mahado explained, "that separates external gaseous mixtures, and relies on small tanks of compressed oxygen to provide breathable gas. Most importantly, it weighs less than a pound and can fit in the palm of your hand."

"That's so cool Mahado!" Yuugi exclaimed excitedly, nearly knocking over his Sprite. Mahado smiled softly, and quickly righted the wobbling can before it could spill.

"See, _that's_ the enthusiasm I was looking for," Mahado replied kindly. "The A99 Aquata Breather will revolutionize the world of diving. In fact, it can even be used in other hazardous environments."

"Yep, he's outdone himself!" Mana piped in, patting her boss's arm. Her bobbed brown hair was tied in a tight tail that stuck straight out from her head. "Wait until you see it; it's totally sweet!" she added with a toothy grin.

"Sounds like it," Yuugi agreed, munching on his French fries. "When do you think it'll be ready for testing? Do you think I could try it out?"

"Well, it's nearly complete," Mahado said, "just a few more tweaks to go; and, I don't see why you couldn't be our tester. You've got a valid diving license, right?"

"Yep," Yuugi grinned, "my friends and I used to go scuba diving in Hawaii all the time. The water was like our second home."

"Well then," Mahado said, flicking a wayward strand of black hair from his lavender eyes, "I'll speak with Dr. Pegasus once we're ready and see if I can't borrow you for a few hours."

"That would be great Mahado," Yuugi replied, thanking the engineer profusely.

"What would be great?" a tanned, muscular man asked as he slid onto the bench next to Duke, his spiky, dark hair framing his handsome face like a crown of thorns.

"And where were _you_?" Duke asked accusingly as Mako Tsunami dug into his meal with gusto.

Mako narrowed his dark blue eyes in return, and asked with a still full mouth, "Whuts chit to ya?"

"Ew!" Mana squealed, clenching her pert little nose in disgust. "That's gross Mako, chew your food!" Mako opened his mouth widely at Mana, giving her a glimpse of the mangled mash within. "You are _so_ immature!"

"You're so immature," Mako mimicked back, his voice high and squeaky, all the while shoveling more food into his mouth. Giving an exaggerated swallow, he wiped his lips before adding, "If you all _have_ to know, I left my ID badge in the lab and had to go back for it."

"Ha, way to go idiot," Duke taunted. Mako growled but otherwise ignored the geneticist, too hungry to even think about arguing.

Duke scowled when he realized that Mako wasn't rising to the bait, but his face quickly lit up again. "You guys wanna go out this weekend? I think Hooters is having a wing special on Friday."

"Oh yes, I'm sure the wings are all you're interested in," Mana quipped, before taking a sip of her orange juice. "Whatever, I'll go if Boss goes."

Mahado glanced down at his intern, looking somewhat uncomfortable for a moment, before sighing and nodding in agreement. Mana barely managed to hide her grin beneath her hands, but Yuugi could still see her blue eyes twinkling as though she had just won Employee of the Year. Yuugi was actually quite surprised that Mahado had agreed; from what he'd seen, though the elder engineer was friendly, he preferred to keep to himself. Then again, denying Mana _anything_ was next to impossible, especially when she blinked her puppy dog eyes.

"I'm down too," Mako said, "My buddy, Rex, told me they just hired this _really_ hot waitress, uh 'Charity' I think. So yeah, definitely in!"

"Mako, it's Hooters, they're all hot," Duke teased before switching his green eyes onto Yuugi. "How about you, Yuugi? You in?"

Yuugi had never been anywhere near a Hooters before in his life, but just as he was about to say it wasn't his thing, Malik's letter came back to haunt him. _Crawl out from whatever rock you've been hiding under_, his Hawaiian friend's voice whispered into his ear. "All right," he agreed, "Friday sounds good."

Suddenly, inspiration hit him. "Wait, do you mind if I bring a couple of friends? I think you guys'd get along great!"

"You mean the Joey and Travis guys you told us about?" Duke asked curiously. Yuugi had mentioned their exploits several times over lunch.

"Tristan," Yuugi corrected, taking a small bite of his salad, "but yep, that's them!"

"No problem with me," Mako shrugged, having nearly wolfed down his meal. The others soon echoed their agreement, causing Yuugi to smile; Hooters wasn't looking so bad all of the sudden!

"Well guys," Duke said, slamming his hands on the table. "It's twelve thirty, meaning I've gotta head back to work." Whistling, he carried his tray over to the conveyor belt, and then called over his shoulder for Yuugi. "Coming, Yuugi?" he asked.

Yuugi nodded brightly, before getting up to deposit his own tray. It had become something of a tradition since the first day they'd met; Duke would always walk Yuugi to the elevator before continuing on to his own office. The two walked in amicable silence, before all too soon, the elevator doors were closing in Yuugi's face, pulling him back to the sub-basement for what was sure to be a long afternoon.

-o-

The intern had been dozing lightly at his desk when the screams began. Rousing quickly, Yuugi lifted his head in time to hear muffled curses and thumps, followed by loud footsteps thundering wildly past his door. Suddenly wide awake, Yuugi scrambled to his feet and flew out into the hallway, intent on discovering what the great emergency was.

As soon as Yuugi entered the corridor, the sound of the screaming increased tenfold. Covering his ears with the palms of his hands, Yuugi's eyes darted erratically around as he tried to pinpoint the origin of the terrified yells. Instinctively, Yuugi ran towards the sound, hardly watching where his feet were taking him. Yuugi darted into the only opened doorway, before realization dawned on him and he slide to a terrified halt. His large, lilac eyes darted in awe around a room he had never seen before, and more importantly, around a room he was never _supposed_ to see.

The room behind The Door was not at all as Yuugi had imagined; in fact, it looked like a typical laboratory, albeit larger than the ones that Yuugi was used to. Along one side were several workstations, complete with desks, computers and comfortable leather chairs. A row of bookshelves lined the opposite wall, filled a collection of very thick texts and –to Yuugi's disgust- a collection of large beakers containing preserved fetuses. Yuugi did not have time to examine or identify the dead carcasses, however, as his eyes were drawn to the one thing that seemed out of place in the room. Towards the back wall, there was a large aquarium with an iron ladder attached to one side. Yuugi could just make out a small, concrete platform at the top of the ladder that looked large enough to hold two, maybe three, people.

"Why are you just _standing _there?" an angry voice bellowed, snapping Yuugi out of his revelry and back into reality. With a horrified jolt, he remembered what had brought him into this room in the first place. Yuugi tore his violet eyes away from the aquarium and instead focused them on the source of the harsh voice. "For god sakes, you useless little brat, **help me**!" it growled again, as Yuugi stared at a man who was glaring at him coldly, with pure white hair that fell down his back in messy spikes. The pale man was muttering softly to another who was lying on the floor, surrounded by a puddle of reddish hued water.

_Red like blood_, Yuugi realized, his heart dropping as the second man groaned in pain. It was only then that Yuugi noticed that the white haired man was holding a cloth to the injured man's leg, and that the cloth was quickly staining crimson. Yuugi froze, his eyes tracing the bloody trail from the victim up to the iron ladder. "W-Wha-What happened?" he stuttered in horror, feeling his throat closing in on itself.

"Bitten," the white haired man snapped. Yuugi didn't have time to ask 'by what', before the irate man added, "and if you don't assist me _immediately_ I will see that the same thing happens to you!"

Yuugi leapt into action, fueled by his fear of the pale man's threat and his own desire to help. "What can I do?" he asked hurriedly.

"This cloth is nearly soaked through," the white haired man replied shortly, "find more." The injured man suddenly cried out, causing the pale man to redirect his attention away from Yuugi. "Valon, stop moving," he commanded under his breath, rather unfairly in Yuugi's opinion. However, the red haired man, 'Valon', nodded his head and stilled, though his pained panting did not stop.

Yuugi's gaze darted around the room, and finding no more cloths, he quickly tore of his lab coat and, giving no thought to his own modesty, ripped the white dress shirt from his body. Wadding it into a ball, he hurried over to the white-haired man and handed him the makeshift bandage. The man looked at the shirt for a moment, scowling, before snatching the fabric from Yuugi's hand and removing the soiled cloth from the Valon's leg. Yuugi nearly passed out when he saw the injury that lay beneath.

Valon's thigh looked as though something _literally_ had torn a chunk out of it, and Yuugi was instantly reminded of the shark attack victims he had seen on TV. Strips of flesh were falling off in chunks, and bits of bone were visible beneath badly torn muscles. Crimson blood poured from the injury in a deadly waterfall, pooling onto the white, tiled floor. The wound itself was about a half foot in diameter, jagged teeth marks evident along its edges; and, Yuugi suddenly noticed, the surrounding blood vessels were dyed a dark blue.

"Fuck, poison!" the white haired man shrieked suddenly, pointing at the rapidly graying veins beneath Valon's skin, that were travelling in small branches away from the grievous wound. Quickly, he covered the injury using Yuugi's shirt.

Yuugi was suddenly aware of the thundering of approaching footsteps and the screeching of metal wheels. The Door, already ajar, burst open to admit Dr. Pegasus, who for once in his life looked perfectly serious, and a green haired man that Yuugi did not know. Between them, they were pushing what appeared to be a large, metal hospital gurney; oddly though, there were multiple rows of restraints along either side, ranging from cuffs to belts. "How is he?" Dr. Pegasus asked sharply, hurrying over to Valon's side.

"Not good," the white haired man spat. "He's losing blood rapidly, and it looks as though the damned beast poisoned him as well!"

"All right Dr. Bakura," Dr. Pegasus replied quickly. Yuugi recognized the name; Duke and Mako had mentioned a 'Bakura' on Yuugi's first day of work._ A complete snake_, Yuugi's brain supplied, but Yuugi quickly beat down the judgmental voice; he always tried to make his own opinions of people, rather than making assumptions based on what others said. "Help me load him onto the gurney. An ambulance is on its way. For obvious reasons, we cannot have the paramedics collect him down here."

Bakura nodded gravely, as the green haired man pushed the trolley forward. With surprising strength, Dr. Pegasus and Bakura lifted the injured Valon onto the gurney, the red head screaming in pain as his damaged leg was jostled. "Go with Dr. Dartz, Akefia," Dr. Pegasus commanded. Yuugi supposed that 'Akefia' was probably Bakura's given name, but he didn't dwell on it long.

Bakura nodded sharply, and quickly grabbed the gurney railing opposite the newly dubbed Dr. Dartz. The trolley lurched forward as Bakura and the green haired man ran from the room. Yuugi could hear the wheels shrieking in protest as they rounded the corner to the elevator, the loud chorus punctuated by Valon's desperate cries.

Dr. Pegasus exhaled loudly, and wiped a thin layer of sweat from his brow. His brown eyes gazed at the quickly coagulating pool of blood, as he made a quiet sound of disgust. Uncomfortably realizing that his top half was bare, Yuugi quickly retrieved his lab coat and threw it over his shoulders, causing Dr. Pegasus to whip around and stare at him, as if just realizing that the intern was there.

Suddenly, the senior marine biologist broke into a small smirk. "My my Yuugi," he reprimanded silkily, gesturing around the room grandly. "You _have_ been a naughty boy, now haven't you?"

-o-

Success. He had finally managed to snare one of the nasty creatures; that should teach them to try and put that foul, sweet smelling substance into his tank, the stuff that made him feel both sick and sleepy. Hopefully, he had dealt a wound nasty enough to kill the red haired monster; he had certainly injected a dose of poison large enough to get the job done. His chest suddenly bubbled with a small emotion that he did not recognize, one that anyone else would identify as pride.

He felt no remorse as he watched the beastly creature's crimson life blood spill into his tank and onto the floor, though he felt an incredible rush of excitement as the sweet aroma flowed into his nose. His fanged mouth watered as he desperately sought more, but curse the smooth, pale one for rescuing his prey before he had a chance to take another bite. And then, _he _arrived, the one he hated above all else; the one with the cruel, narrow eyes, that regarded him as some sort of prize or project. He was sure that _this_ was the leader of the beasts, the one who ordered the daily tortures, for the rest of the creatures never failed to submit to his will.

He carefully arranged his tentacles around his body, hissing as the Hated One ran to the side of the injured creature, pulling a horrid object that he knew too well; the restraining device that he was strapped to when the beasts lifted him from his tank to hurt and poke at him. The sight of that thing frightened him. He watched as the red-haired demon was loaded onto the device with a gentleness that he was never shown. His hatred for the creatures grew. They were all the same, cruel and selfish, giving no thought to anyone but themselves, and he would not rest until he had painted his water red with their blood.


	4. Chapter Three

**WARNINGS: **Cloning/cross-breeding, also, I am not a scientist, and while I did my research the best I could (by watching Jurassic Park), I'm sure there are tons of holes. Whatever, it's _fiction_ right? Also, quick heads up; I didn't edit this one very thoroughly, so expect more errors than usual.

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the characters.

**GENERAL NOTES: **Finally, the story is moving. This chapter killed me, but I after several rewrites (which is why it took so long to post!) I think it turned out all right. There's a lot less description than usual; it sucked to cut it out, but a lot happens, and the chapter would have just dragged on otherwise. I'm also quite happy that Bakura finally gets a bit more screen time; he's really fun to write. Thanks for the kind words, and I really appreciate all of the reviews! I hope you enjoy Chapter Three.

**-Maelstrom-**

_By: WhisperingWorlds_

**Chapter Three: The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows**

"D-Dr. Pegasus, I can explain," Yuugi stuttered hastily, his violet eyes falling from his superior's angular face down to the white, tiled floor. He stared morbidly at the murky, blood stained water, before adding, "I know I wasn't supposed to b-be here but I-I heard the screaming and I d-didn't think I just-"

"That's the problem you see," Dr. Pegasus interrupted, running a pale, spidery hand through his long white hair. "You didn't think. Instead, you broke protocol and trespassed into a high security laboratory, and I'm afraid that Mr. Kaiba will be furious. The rules are in place to protect _you_, Yuugi, not only KaibaCorp. As you can see-" he continued, gesturing to the crimson puddles on the floor, "there are some things within these walls that can be very dangerous if handled incorrectly; we only want to protect you."

"I-I understand," Yuugi said, his eyes burning as they began to well up with tears. Hastily, he wiped the treacherous water from his eyes. _Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry_, he thought in embarrassment, _be a man and take it._ Crying had been one of his vices since he was little; even the smallest thing could set him off wailing like a girl. However, by some miracle, he managed to rein the waterworks in this time; though he couldn't stop himself from nibbling his bottom lip nervously, as he waited for Dr. Pegasus to speak again.

"I'm glad that you do," the marine biologist said. "That is why I will speak with Mr. Kaiba and see if we can't put this whole thing behind us." Yuugi's head shot up hopefully. _Does this mean there's a chance that I can stay? _he wondered. "I won't deny that I've grown _fond_ of you, Yuugi boy." Dr. Pegasus continued with a small smile. Yuugi had never been gladder to be the object of a lecherous man's affections before in his life.

"Now," Dr. Pegasus piped, punctuating the word with let's-get-down-to-business hand clap. "If you would follow me, I think it would be best if we nipped this little problem in the bud." Without further ado, Dr. Pegasus strode from the room, and Yuugi nearly tripped over himself in his rush to follow, tugging his lab coat more tightly around his bare torso.

"Where are we going sir?" he asked nervously, nearly jogging to keep up with the senior marine biologist's long strides. Strangely, the sub-basement was completely empty; though only a handful of employees had the clearance to explore the depths of KaibaCorp, Yuugi usually passed at least _one_ person when he walked through the hallways.

"Where else, darling boy," Dr. Pegasus replied, as the pair dashed by Yuugi's half open office door, "than to Mr. Kaiba's office? Though I don't doubt that he's already found out about today's little _incident_, I think now's the best time to address your involvement. Oh, how wonderful, it looks as though the elevator's waiting for us!"

Much to Yuugi's chagrin, the long legged doctor sped up again, causing Yuugi to break into a full out run. The pair quickly stepped into the elevator, and Dr. Pegasus pressed the button marked with the number '10'. It was only after the doors slid shut that Yuugi realized that he had never had a chance to see what kind of creature had caused this disaster in the first place. And, he thought bleakly, with the way things were looking now, he doubted that he would ever get the chance to find out.

-o-

"Now Yuugi," Dr. Pegasus said quickly, as the pair stood outside of a large, wooden door, with a gold nameplate that read 'Gozaburo Kaiba, CEO'. It seemed surprisingly out of place in the futuristic KaibaCorp, where doors were made of stainless steel and walls were painted a clinical white. "If you wouldn't mind, I'd like you to wait outside while I speak to Mr. Kaiba," Dr. Pegasus continued softly. "I will call you when we're ready." Yuugi quickly nodded in assent as the white haired marine biologist pried open the heavy door and disappeared inside. Yuugi heard it close with an audible click, before sliding down the opposite wall, pressing his palms against his eyelids apprehensively.

The ride up to the tenth floor had passed in a tense silence, as Yuugi planned out what he was could say to Mr. Kaiba that would hopefully convince the CEO to let him off with a demotion. With any luck, Dr. Pegasus would succeed in laying the groundwork, and all Yuugi would have to do is apologize profusely. However, he wasn't entirely opposed to begging if he thought that it might help his case; he'd worked far too hard for this internship to let his pride get in the way.

Half an hour passed, and Yuugi did not move from his crouched position. He could just barely make out the muffled voices hissing at each other through the walls, but he could not bring himself to eavesdrop. Instead, he comforted himself by softly singing his favorite songs, focusing on the melody rather than worrying about the meeting which would decide his future.

Yuugi's head snapped up as he heard the large door suddenly open, just in time to see Dr. Pegasus's pale face poke itself out of the door. The marine biologist's brown eyes gave nothing away as Yuugi rose shakily to his feet. "You may come in now," Dr. Pegasus said quietly, pushing the door open further to admit the smaller man. With a loud gulp, Yuugi hurried into the office of Gozaburo Kaiba.

The room was incredibly large and spacious, and unlike the rest of KaibaCorp, it was painted a light blue. Large windows covered most of the walls, showing a spectacular view of the ocean that stretched on for miles. The furniture was dark stained wood, with ornate little details carved into various legs and surfaces. Behind a large mahogany desk, a graying man in a smart, navy suit sat with his long fingers pressed together, his icy blue eyes fixed on Yuugi.

"Yuugi Mutou," Gozaburo Kaiba said quietly, "I think it's safe to say that you know why you are here."

Yuugi wilted under Mr. Kaiba's intense stare, but did his best to meet the CEO's eyes with his own. "Yes," he replied simply, proud when his voice did not crack.

"Then I see no point in wasting time reiterating your various transgressions, for I'm sure that you're also well aware that your actions have violated at least a dozen regulations; regulations that are set in place to assure your safety and the safety of the rest of my employees," Mr. Kaiba continued emotionlessly. Yuugi inhaled sharply, but nodded in agreement.

"Therefore, would you say that I have reasonable grounds to terminate your internship, effective immediately?" he asked sharply. Yuugi shook in horror, his violet eyes clenching. Nonetheless, he nodded his head again.

"You do," he agreed quietly.

"I do," Mr. Kaiba snapped. "However, Dr. Pegasus has just informed me that this breach was not a willful act of disobedience, but arose merely from your need to assist another employee. Furthermore, he has reported that you are perhaps one of the brightest minds KaibaCorp has seen in the past five years and an integral part of his team. So, that leaves us with a dilemma Mr. Mutou."

"Dilemma, sir?" Yuugi asked softly.

"Yes, a dilemma," Mr. Kaiba repeated. "While it would be a mistake to allow you to continue as you were, it would be an even greater mistake and to the detriment of KaibaCorp to dismiss you today. Therefore, I have chosen to make a rare exception; I have decided that you will remain here. However, until further notice, you are on an indefinite probation, and as we have apparently lost a member of our team for the foreseeable future, you are reassigned to assist Dr. Pegasus in any and all ways pertaining to Top Secret Project, Number 56."

Yuugi was in shock; he had fully expected to be told to go pack his belongings and be out of the door before the sun set that evening. Instead, it sounded as though he had actually been… promoted?

"I will have Rebecca see to your security clearance," Mr. Kaiba continued, pulling out a sheet of paper from his desk drawer, "once you had read and signed these confidentiality contracts." Yuugi quickly did as we was told, quickly scanning the document and gripping the pen with his sweaty hand. Moments later, he found himself signing his name along a dotted line, completely unaware of what he had just read. Wordlessly, Yuugi handed the contract back to Mr. Kaiba, who glanced at it briefly, before depositing it back into the drawer.

"Good. You may go," Mr. Kaiba said shortly, "but keep in mind, Mr. Mutou, that I do not offer second chances. Do not disappoint me again."

"I won't sir. Thank you sir," Yuugi said breathlessly, as both he and Dr. Pegasus turned towards the door. He frowned slightly when he did not receive any acknowledgement, but he swiftly concealed it. He did, however, hurry from the room slightly faster than necessary.

"Oh this is absolutely wonderful, Yuugi!" Dr. Pegasus exclaimed, as the heavy wooden door slammed behind him. "You were absolutely brilliant."

"I didn't really do anything," Yuugi reminded. "Thanks to you, sir, I think he had his mind made up before I even walked through the door."

"Well, we all do what we can," Dr. Pegasus replied modestly, though his brown eyes twinkled. "I'm sure you'll repay me somehow; after all, it looks as though we will finally be able to spend a little more time together."

_That's right,_ Yuugi remembered suddenly, _I was reassigned. Holy hell, I get to work on the Top Secret Project._ "Sir, what exactly is Project Number 56?" he asked curiously. Dr. Pegasus shushed him with a smile, his brown eyes flitting around the room.

"Yuugi, we're not in the sub-basement yet," he sing-songed, tapping Yuugi on the forehead. "I promise to give you all of the little details you need once we arrive. Remember, you're a member of the Unspeakables now, and you can't go telling your little friends about anything that you might see."

"Unspeakable?" Yuugi questioned.

"Oh, just a little joke we have amongst ourselves," Dr. Pegasus explained mysteriously. "Now if you would accompany me to downstairs, I can give you a small debriefing and tell you all about your new assignment."

"Sounds wonderful sir," Yuugi replied enthusiastically.

-o-

This time, Yuugi rode the elevator in relieved disbelief, tinged with an anxious excitement. He couldn't help the small bounce in his step as he followed Dr. Pegasus through the winding hallways of the sub-basement, past his office, the door of which had been closed, and towards The Door. This time, Yuugi felt no guilt as he stared at the windowless door, only anticipation.

"This door is to remain locked at all times," Dr. Pegasus detailed, removing his ID badge from the front pocket of his white lab coat. "To open the door, scan your tag and wait for the light to turn green," he continued, indicating a little white box to the right of the door that Yuugi had never noticed before. With a quick hand, Dr. Pegasus slid his card through the card reader, deactivating the lock. "We'll just use mine today, as I doubt that dear Rebecca has had a chance to upgrade your clearance just yet."

Yuugi nodded, but as he walked towards the doorway a strange thought occurred to him. _The Door wasn't locked last time I came through_, he mused curiously, _but Dr. Pegasus said that it remains locked at all times_. However, he quickly dismissed the thought, reassuring himself that it was probably disabled due to the emergency. Besides, he thought as he followed Dr. Pegasus through the doorway, he had more important things to be concerning himself with now!

"Dr. Bakura!" Dr. Pegasus exclaimed in delight, "then I suppose that the situation with Dr. Valon has all been taken care of?" Yuugi peeked around the senior marine biologist and at the spiky haired male that he had seen before. Bakura appeared completely collected, though he had a slightly sour expression on his pale, narrow face.

"He was airlifted to the hospital about ten minutes ago, from the medical wing on the ground floor," Bakura confirmed, before pointing to a mop and bucket leaning against one of the workstation desks, "and I took the liberty of cleaning up the blood before it stained. Maybe now Kaiba will realize just how impractical _white_ floors are this environment."

"Oh, bless you Akefia," chimed Dr. Pegasus in return, completely ignoring Bakura's last impertinent statement. "That is wonderful, thank you." Bakura nodded sharply, before suddenly turning his cold, brown eyes on Yuugi.

"What is _that_?" Bakura asked harshly, pointing a thin finger in Yuugi's direction. Yuugi shrunk under the brash biologist's glare, though a tiny, defiant part of his brain was itching to verbally flay Bakura for referring to him as an object.

"How rude of me!" Dr. Pegasus cried, "Dr. Akefia Bakura, please meet my intern and our latest team member, Yuugi Mutou. Yuugi, this is Dr. Bakura, KaibaCorp's Head of Cellular Biology."

"Nice to meet you," Yuugi offered shyly. Bakura glowered at him for a moment longer, looking completely unimpressed.

"What's an intern doing _here_?" Bakura barked callously, causing Dr. Pegasus to frown slightly.

"Yuugi was assigned to our project by Mr. Kaiba himself," Dr. Pegasus explained, with a cool tone that Yuugi had never heard him use before. _I always thought he was wired permanently on 'happy caffeine high',_ he thought, surprised to realize that he actually preferred the perverted 'Pegaphile' persona. This Dr. Pegasus was almost… _intimidating_.

"But, that reminds me!" Dr. Pegasus said perkily, returning back to his usual self with his customary hand clap. _Definitely back to normal,_ Yuugi confirmed, as Dr. Pegasus latched onto his arm and dragged him across the room, to the large aquarium against the back wall. The marine biologist cycled through moods with such speed that Yuugi felt slightly dizzy. "Yuugi, I'd like you to meet Project Number 56!" Dr. Pegasus exclaimed, pointing at the large tank in the back of the laboratory. Yuugi peered eagerly into the aquarium, but the water was murky; all he could see were a collection of shadows, clustered in the far most corner. Suddenly, Dr. Pegasus released his grip on Yuugi's arm and rapped the glass loudly. "Atem!" he shouted. "Come say hello!"

Yuugi jumped as the shadows in the back suddenly shifted, as though a giant spring was beginning to uncurl. All of a sudden, the dark mass threw itself against the glass of the aquarium, and Yuugi's excitement quickly changed to horror as he gazed upon it; for the creature he beheld was a demon unlike any other, a terrifying combination that belonged in horror movies or childhood nightmares.

The creature's lower body was a tense fan of inky black tentacles, spotted with brilliant splashes of gold and maroon, which tightened as if the demon intended to strike through the glass. The dark mass, however, smoothed as it flowed towards the creature's waist, lightening into smooth, caramel, and decidedly human, skin. The abdomen, arms and chest were lean and malnourished, though Yuugi could just make out a very thin layer of sinewy muscles that rippled in quick, stressed movements. Yuugi gasped further as he examined the creature's face; it appeared almost human, though it was slightly too angular to be considered 'normal'. Chiseled cheek bones gave way to thin lips that bared twin rows of sharp, glistening teeth in warning.

"WHAT IS THAT THING?" Yuugi shrieked, as the demon-like creature suddenly scuttled away, its tentacles lengthening and contracting like that of a squid, propelling it through the water. The dark creature, part fish, part human, part creature of the underworld glared at the scientists with cat-like crimson eyes; solid, save for a single, dark slit up the center. _Part fish, part human?_ Yuugi thought again in shock, his stunned brain slowly piecing coherent thoughts together. "Is it a merman?" he breathed finally, watching mesmerized as the demon's hair, a mess of black, crimson and gold spikes that oddly matched its tail end, swayed slightly in the water.

"Ha, merman," Bakura scoffed, "this beast, a benevolent sea creature that rescues drowning sailors and suns itself innocently on the rocks? Hardly. It's a genetically engineered menace, a hybrid designed and birthed by the scientists here at KaibaCorp." Yuugi's mouth gaped like a fish, he was about to start hyperventilating any second, he just knew it. His already wide violet eyes widened impossibly further.

"Now now Akefia," Dr. Pegasus admonished lightly, "how can you say such terrible things about our Atem? He's a beautiful creature and my crowning jewel after many, _many_ years of hard work." _Breathe Yuugi, breathe._

"Your _Atem_ tries to kill me and anyone else who goes near it," Bakura hissed back, "and yet you want to throw it into a theme park, where little children will gawk at it and beg their parents for one of their own. Can you not see that it's dangerous, or will you have to wait until it gets what it wants and murders you as well?" _In, out, in, out!_

"You'll have to forgive Dr. Bakura," Dr. Pegasus explained calmly to Yuugi, though Yuugi was far beyond coherent communication at this point, "you see, he's never been entirely fond of Atem. There's no need for you to worry, however. Atem is completely harmless if handled correctly; he's a simple thing, governed by his instincts."

"It's smarter than you think," Bakura commented darkly, "it remembers, and it hates you more than the rest of us, Pegasus, I can see it in its eyes. It watches you." It must have finally dawned on Dr. Pegasus that his intern was dangerously close to passing out, as Yuugi was fuzzily aware that the marine biologist had chosen to end his feud with the biologist.

"That's enough of your superstitions," the senior marine biologist replied firmly, reverting once again to the eerily serious attitude that he seemed to reserve only for the brash, white haired Bakura. "If Atem watches me, it is only because he recognizes to some extent that I am the primary food provider. You are unnecessarily frightening our intern. Why don't you see if you can't find Dr. Dartz?" he ordered softly. Bakura grunted, but nonetheless stalked from the laboratory, his chocolate eyes flashing angrily. Yuugi barely heard the large, windowless door slam as the pale man made his exit.

"Now Yuugi," Dr. Pegasus said gravely, finally causing Yuugi's head to swivel slowly towards him, though his large eyes remained in a panicked glaze, "you have to understand that Dr. Bakura has just been through a most traumatic ordeal; but please, don't take his words to heart. I promise that no harm will come to you as long as you follow my instructions. There, there," he added, patting the shaking intern on the back, "you'll be perfectly all right soon."

Yuugi was still in shock, but for some reason that he couldn't pinpoint, Dr. Pegasus's kind words had actually begun to calm him down. The fists that he hadn't even remembered making began to slowly unclench, and his breathing evened out. Of course, Yuugi's gratitude to the elder marine biologist only extended sofar, and he hastily took a step forward as his superior's hand began to linger on his lower back far longer than necessary. "Thank you," he breathed politely, "I'm sorry I kind of freaked out there for a second."

"No worries at all, Yuugi boy," Dr. Pegasus replied cheerily, "it's quite understandable. Atem _does_ take some getting used to; he's incredibly unique."

"Unique is… putting it mildly," Yuugi commented, as he began watching the sea creature again. Atem had retreated into the darker recesses of his tank, but Yuugi could still make out a pair of eerily glowing red eyes watching his every move. "Where did the name 'Atem' come from anyway?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, from a former employee," Dr. Pegasus explained, appearing delighted that Yuugi was calm enough to ask constructive questions, "she grew tired of referring to him as Project Number 56. She was reading one of those Harlequin romance novels about ancient Egypt, and she mentioned that he reminded her of the protagonist, Pharaoh Atemakhan. Of course, that's something of a mouthful isn't it? So, we shortened it to Atem, and the name sort of stuck; though as you can see, Dr. Bakura is still somewhat reluctant to use it."

_Naming a creature like this? Sounds like something that Mana would do_, Yuugi joked inwardly. "Atem," he said aloud, rolling the name along his tongue and deciding that he liked it. "So, what _is_ he exactly?"

"Now _that's _the question of the century isn't it?" Dr. Pegasus replied, smiling proudly. "As Dr. Bakura said, Atem is what we call a 'hybrid'; a brand new animal that was created from the DNA of several different species. In Atem's case, we used the genetic material of a human, a great white shark and-"

"-A Flamboyant Cuttlefish," Yuugi added intuitively, remembering the articles he had read just that afternoon. Now that he really inspected Atem's tentacles, the colour splotches looked very much like the photographs he had seen. Dr. Pegasus's smile widened as he nodded in acknowledgement.

"That's correct," he agreed, crossing his long arms across his chest. Yuugi bathed in the praise, feeling as though he had, in part, redeemed himself for the fiasco that afternoon. Yuugi never could stand failing at things, and he put so much effort into his work that he rarely did.

"So, how'd you do it?" he finally asked, as the complexity of the science suddenly rushed against him like a tidal wave.

"Well," Dr. Pegasus began, "we acquired the human DNA from the KaibaCorp Department of Antiquities; surprisingly enough, it did come from an Egyptian mummy, though I don't know if he was, indeed, a Pharaoh. You see Yuugi, it is necessary to use slightly deteriorated genetic material in order for the actual combination process to work. Using a special computer program, we uncurled the DNA strands and added various _enhancements_ here and there; that is to say, the DNA of other species. The rest was just trial and error really; as the number 56 suggests, we did fail a lot before we managed to succeed."

"Fail?" Yuugi asked curiously. Dr. Pegasus gestured to the bookshelves along the wall, on which rested the collection of jarred fetuses that Yuugi had glanced at several hours ago. Slowly, Yuugi approached the beakers and took a closer look at the preserved bodies within, feeling slightly sick as he noticed their obvious deformities: a squid like creature with a human leg, a human baby with a dorsal fin growing from its back… the list was endless and extremely gruesome.

"This isn't legal is it?" he suddenly asked boldly, tearing his eyes away from the bottled carcasses. Dr. Pegasus looked slightly surprised, but answered with his typical, airy tone.

"Perhaps not entirely," Dr. Pegasus conceded, "however, the benefits far outweigh the repercussions. Just think about it, Yuugi; genetic manipulation. Imagine what my research will do for people with amputations or disabilities! If we can create _life_ from nothing, then surely a new set of legs or a new pair of eyes would be no trouble at all. I had you pegged as a boy who cared for those less fortunate and who would want to help in any way he could; I do hope I wasn't mistaken."

"N-no, not at all!" Yuugi rushed, "Of course I want to help! I just, well, don't want to get in trouble either."

"Ah, of course," Dr. Pegasus replied patiently, "well, there you have no worries at all. That confidentiality form you signed will completely absolve you of guilt should there be any teeny issues with the authorities. However, it you shouldn't concern yourself; we've been working with Atem for twenty years, and we've never encountered any difficulties outside of KaibaCorp."

"Atem's _twenty_?" Yuugi exclaimed loudly.

"Does he not look it?" Dr. Pegasus asked in confusion.

"I guess I just assumed that he wasn't decanted until he was mature," Yuugi replied with a shrug, a myth that he had probably learned from watching too many science fiction movies. It was hard to imagine the vicious creature as an infant.

"I'm afraid that rapid aging in still beyond us," Dr. Pegasus reassured, "but, I assure you, I have been with Atem since the day he was born, over twenty years ago, right here in this very room!"

_Atem's been in that aquarium for twenty years?_ Yuugi thought with sudden pity, glancing at the fierce hybrid that was still fixing him with its demonic, red glare. The creature quickly sped away under Yuugi's scrutiny. _That's not much of a life_, Yuugi mused dully, rubbing his pale wrist sadly. _It doesn't care, it's a fish_, another, more ambitious part of his mind sniped in return, _now, pay attention to what your __**boss**__ is saying. You know, the boss that just saved you from being fired?_

"So, how much of him is human?" Yuugi asked softly.

"A good 50%," Dr. Pegasus explained, "from what we've seen, he's got the lifespan of one at least, as well as many of the internal organs. He has a set of lungs, you know," Dr. Pegasus added, "however, they are not strong enough to support him for longer than a few minutes out of the water."

"And the rest is a pretty much cuttlefish, with a bit of shark mixed in?" Yuugi pressed curiously, watching as the tentacles curled tightly around the hybrid's body.

"Actually, it is an even split between Great White and Flamboyant Cuttlefish DNA," Dr. Pegasus explained. "His appearance is quite misleading; while he does have the lower half of a cephalopod and breathes via skin absorption, Atem has the mindset of a shark. His behavior indicates that he has some rudimentary intelligence, although he is still primarily driven by his instincts. Blood, for example, sends him into something of an uncontrollable frenzy, and his diet mostly consists of raw fish and meat."

"And he's also got those teeth," Yuugi pointed out, as he remembered the sharp fangs that he had momentarily seen, and the shredded flesh of Valon's leg.

"Yes, 'those teeth' are quite an area of interest for me at the moment," Dr. Pegasus said, almost to himself. "No matter. Yuugi you have had a trying day, so I don't see why you shouldn't go home and rest up. I do need to speak with Dr. Dartz about Atem's test program; in fact, we have several scheduled for tomorrow, which I'm sure that you do not want to miss!"

"Definitely not," Yuugi agreed enthusiastically, his dark hair bobbing in his excitement.

"Then have a wonderful afternoon Yuugi," Dr. Pegasus said benevolently, indicating the door with a lazy wave of his hand. "I shall see you tomorrow, bright and early!"

"Thank you for everything sir," Yuugi said earnestly, widening his eyes slightly to appear even more innocent than usual, before hurrying towards the door and into the hallway.

_I can't believe how lucky I am_, he mused to himself, as he slowly made his way back to his office. _I don't get fired, I get to work with an incredibly brilliant, albeit perverted, marine biologist, and I get to go home early!_ Yuugi couldn't help a giddy leap into the air as he pictured his future at KaibaCorp; even though Mr. Kaiba was far from his biggest fan at the moment, he was sure that he could redeem himself in the CEO's eyes. Who knows, maybe Mr. Kaiba would be so impressed with his work, that he'd make him the next Head of Marine Biology.

Humming to himself as he collected his locker keys and shut off the lights, Yuugi tried to beat down a tiny part of his brain that threatened to rain on his parade, the one that wanted to _pity _the specimen rather than study it. Yuugi wasn't sure if Dr. Pegasus knew it or not, but the senior marine biologist had been bang on; Yuugi had spent the majority of his life putting other people before himself, which was usually why he got taken advantage of. _Like with Tea_, he thought bitterly, before quickly shoving the thought aside. No, this was an entirely new chapter of his life, and she most _definitely_ did not belong in it. He had a dream career that looked like it was finally taking off, and for once, Yuugi was going to be selfish and put himself first. Besides, as Dr. Pegasus had explained, Atem was a primal creature who probably didn't even realize that he had a crappy life anyway.

Feeling far more reassured, Yuugi quickly gathered his belongings, turned out the lights, and locked his office, eager to return home and enjoy his rare time off.

-o-

Apparently, unlike with many large companies, gossip at KaibaCorp did not travel fast. Though Yuugi had received the expected flack for losing his shirt (he had made up a simple but believable story to explain his lack of clothing), there had been no mention of any injuries, let alone attacked employees. It had been incredibly hard not to tell his friends about his hectic day, especially when he was already on edge, expecting someone to mention Valon's accident. However, it seemed as though Dr. Pegasus had had a reason to be confident, Yuugi mused as he threw on the black ribbed tank top that he had borrowed from Duke, for the entire fiasco had been kept under wraps. Yuugi couldn't help but wonder just how much of what happened at KaibaCorp went under the employee radar.

Yuugi said his goodbyes quickly, and after promising to return Duke's shirt the following day, he hurried to the employee parking lot and nearly jumped into his red truck. It was strange to be leaving while the sun was still in the sky; usually, it was pitch black and the parking lot was deserted. Today, however, Yuugi had to drive carefully through the lot to avoid an assortment of sensible cars, and some not so sensible people, who apparently thought too highly of themselves to move out of the way for a truck.

Though there was slightly more traffic on the road than he was used to, the drive home was uneventful, and Yuugi allowed his bustling mind to go blissfully blank. However, by the time that Yuugi sat at his kitchen table, stirring a steaming cup of Earl Gray tea, he couldn't help but feel a quell of anxious excitement in his belly. Tomorrow was his first _real_ day as an Unspeakable; he doubted that he would sleep that night, even if he left the radio on. He would probably wind up taking some cough medication to knock him out; though he knew it was unsafe, it was exceptionally effective.

The phone rang suddenly, causing Yuugi to jump and spill a bit of scalding tea onto his hand. Cursing softly, he stuck the pulsing digit into his mouth, before navigating over to his counter and answering the phone.

"Yuug, where ya been buddy? It's been too long!" Joey's voice cried dramatically, causing Yuugi to smile despite the pain in his finger.

Removing the hand from his mouth with a tiny, audible pop, Yuugi answered cheerfully, "Joey! How are you?"

"Not bad, had a crazy day in da café. You shoulda seen dis one guy, made me make his damn drink _again_ 'cause he said it was too hot! It's coffee for Christ sakes!" Joey exclaimed indignantly. Yuugi sniggered inwardly as he noted his own, similar situation with the tea, but thought better of mentioning to Joey that hot beverages really could be a pain in the ass.

"Tristan's not here by da way," Joey added as an afterthought, "working ova'time, boss's orders."

"Well, let him know that I say hello," Yuugi replied pleasantly. "So, did you make the guy a new coffee?"

"Had ta," Joey said sullenly, "manager was in. Otherwise, I woulda told 'im to stick it. Spat in 'is drink though."

"Remind me to never order coffee from you," Yuugi noted airily, as he returned to his table and sipped gingerly on his tea. _It's still too hot_, he thought in annoyance, feeling the tip of his tongue burn. _Yep, a complete pain in the ass_.

"Oh, I'm da best at makin' coffee," Joey corrected proudly, "which is why I shouldn't have ta make it again. It's perfect da first time."

"I'm sure it is," Yuugi placated, yawning slightly.

"I've started readin' da newspaper," Joey said after a moment, with a tone that suggested that he was expecting praise. "Thought I'd try ta be smart like you buddy, and figure out what's goin' on in da world."

"Good for you Joey!" Yuugi said obediently. "So, what _is_ going on in the world today?"

"Nuthin' much, there's some big oil spill that's killin' everything, and a fifteen year old kid managed ta nick a Porsche straight from da dealership in Ohio," Joey said, and Yuugi could just imagine the shaggy blonde grinning broadly at being able to tell _Yuugi_ about something for a change; Yuugi had always been the _smart_ one of the pair.

"Yeah, the oil spill's terrible," Yuugi commented, attempting another sip of tea and finding it far for pleasurable this time around. "It's destroyed nearly an entire coral reef and has killed millions of seabirds. Mana and I were talking about it a few days ago at lunch."

"Mana's the intern right?" Joey clarified. Yuugi had told the blonde all about his new friends from KaibaCorp, though Joey, bless him, could rarely remember the details.

"Yep, to Mahado, the engineer," Yuugi reminded. "Wait a minute, that reminds me!" he exclaimed suddenly, smacking his forehead lightly with his hand. "We're all going to Hooters on Friday night, and Duke said I could bring you and Tristan along. You free?"

There was silence for a moment. "Wait wait wait," Joey finally said, "_Hooters?_ _**You?**_ You do realize what Hooters is right?"

"It's a restaurant too," Yuugi replied tartly, as Joey started hooting with laughter.

"Food's not da only ting you can buy if you get my drift, my innocent lil buddy!" Joey chortled, though Yuugi knew that he was exaggerating. At least, Yuugi hoped that he was.

"Well, that's what I'm going for," Yuugi grumbled, taking a large drag of his tea.

"Eh, it might be good for ya," Joey said after a moment, but before Yuugi could ask him what he meant, Joey added, "And yeah, I'm around, and Tristan doesn't work Fridays anymore."

"Great," Yuugi replied, smiling into the phone. "It'll be fun; I can't wait til you meet everyone!"

"I'm sure der great," Joey said. "So," Joey asked after a few moment of companionable silence, "how was your day; anytin int'resting happen?"

Yuugi smirked, draining his tea. "Nope," he shrugged. "Nothing."

-o-

There was a new face today; one that belonged to a creature that was far smaller than the rest. It looked utterly terrified of him, he noted with a smirk, as he lay curled in the back of his tank. Good, that's what he wanted. His smirk suddenly turned to a scowl as he noticed _him_ standing next to the new one. _He _always made things even more unpleasant, if that were possible.

Why, oh why, did they _insist_ on tapping on the glass? Did they not _understand_ that the loud noise pierced his ears? Or, perhaps, that's what the barbarians wanted; they certainly had no qualms with hurting him. He noted how _he_ gravitated towards the new one; his mate, perhaps? Maybe if he frightened the mate, _he_ would leave as well.

With that thought, he flung himself towards the glass, tensing his tentacles into an intimidating fan and barring his sharp teeth ferociously. He laughed inwardly as the new one jumped in horror; stupid barbarians. He quickly, however, realized the error in his plans, as the new one let out a piercing shriek. He instinctively shot away to distance himself from the terrible noise and settled instead on glaring at the creatures from afar. Foul, selfish things and their even fouler noises.

He continued to glower at the creatures, feeling slightly annoyed as the new one's expression changed from terrified to another expression that he was very familiar with; the one that the barbarians always held when they removed him from his tank and poked him. That decided it; the new one was no different from the rest.

Suddenly, however, the new one's features changed, reflecting an emotion that he was not entirely sure that he disliked. In fact, the new one looked almost… sad. His eyebrows clenched in confusion; what reason did _that_ one have to be sad? He was not constantly in pain or afraid or surrounded by things that he did not understand. And yet, his abnormally large eyes appeared distressed, though not for himself; instead, they remained fixed on his. Wait, was the new one upset for… him?

Growling in frustration, he returned to his corner and folded his pretty tentacles around his waist. So maybe this new one was slightly unusual; he could reserve judgment for now. He would not let himself think for even a moment that there was any good to be found in the barbarians; and he would still bite this new one's arm off if he got the chance. His pert nose twitched as he remembered the delightful scent of blood and he wondered if the new one's would smell as sweet. No, he decided, it would probably be even better. Hopefully he would someday find out.


	5. Chapter Four

**WARNINGS: **Same as before, won't be anything graphic for awhile (well, unless you count Atem's thoughts which are, as always, pretty bloody…)

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! or the characters. However, this plotline is a result of a lot of hard work, so I would appreciate it if you asked before borrowing. Thanks! Oh, and the chapter title comes from _Love the Way You Lie _by Eminem, featuring Rihanna. Not a huge fan of the song but this line, along with a few others were really interesting!

**GENERAL NOTES: **Well, updates are going to start slowing down now, however, this chapter took longer to bang out than even _I_ expected. Luckily, I'm already part way through Chapter Five (I've had a great time writing it!), so hopefully, it won't take as long next time. That being said, what with the summer coming to an end, updates will slow down dramatically **however** they will come eventually. I'm way too attached to this story to ever abandon it. So please be patient with me. As always, thank you so much for the kind reviews, they really keep me going and I love to hear your thoughts. Hope y'all enjoy Chapter Four!

**-Maelstrom-**

_By: WhisperingWorlds_

**Chapter Four: When a Tornado Meets a Volcano **

_**Shark Attacks KaibaCorp Biologist:**_

_**How a Simple Day at the Beach Can Turn Bloody**_

_Native Australian and prominent biologist, Dr. Alistair Valon, 34, was viciously mauled by a great white shark yesterday afternoon, while surfing recreationally after work. Following an emergency call made by a frantic bystander, Dr. Valon was transported to the medical ward at KaibaCorp, and later spent most of the long night in emergency at Seattle Grace, as the surgeons tried to repair the extensive damage. Reports say that the shark tore away most of his upper thigh and it is likely that the attack has done permanent injury to the muscle tissue and bone. No information on Dr. Valon's recovery has been reported._

_Since arriving at KaibaCorp's Marine Division in 1998, Dr. Valon has received numerous commendations and awards from the National Board of Science for his work in marine biology. Notable achievements include a Thompson's Award of Excellence in Marine Biology, the discovery of the ninth tentacle of the cuttlefish, and his work with, ironically, shark genetics. However, Dr. Valon is perhaps most well known amongst his colleagues as being an adamant opponent of the Theory of Advanced Venom Conversion._

_Despite recent accusations that Dr. Valon had been at odds with his employer, a statement issued by KaibaCorp representatives laments the loss of 'one of their brightest minds' and that they 'wish Dr. Valon a speedy recovery'. CONTINUED IN B9._

Yuugi Mutou's creamy hands shook as he pulled the Tuesday edition of The Seattle Times off of the shelf, his pale, violet eyes scanning the article in horror. His gaze lingered for a moment on the inset picture of an angular, pale face surrounded by a crimson halo of spiky hair. It was a face he recognized, though it had been twisted in agony the last time he had laid eyes on it.

_So much has happened_, he mused morbidly, _I can't believe all of this just happened yesterday. It feels like it's been weeks, months even, since I walked into the lab-_

"Welcome to Starbucks, what can I get you?" a short, blonde teen with bubblegum pink lips asked, her voice blank with boredom. Yuugi blushed, feeling slightly flustered, before stuttering his order. The girl tapped it in before looking at him expectantly.

"Oh, and I'll get this too," he added softly, indicating the newspaper still clutched in his hands. The barista sighed in annoyance and added the newspaper to the bill. Yuugi noticed that her black nailpolish was chipped on her thumb, and he shivered as he remembered painting his nails with similar goop. Did it really look that bad, or was he just getting old?

"Anything else?" she drawled, clicking her fingers impatiently on the counter. Yuugi shook his head, and quickly paid the irritatingly high sum of money, before collecting his coffee and striding over to a vacant armchair. Though he bitched and whined about how expensive it was, he couldn't deny the comfy allure of the Starbucks atmosphere.

Though he had downed a small dose of Nyquil the night before, Yuugi had still awoken that morning far earlier than he had intended, the excitement and anxiousness nestled deep in his belly keeping him from falling back asleep. Rather than waste several hours staring at the ceiling, he had decided to be constructive; he had penned a short reply to Malik, congratulating him on another fine conquest and requesting for the umpteenth time that he sign up for an email address, and had gone for a quick jog along the rocky beach. Unfortunately, the tide pools that once held countless wonders for him now paled in comparison to Atem and couldn't hold his attention for long. So, having finally exhausted ways to waste enough time before heading off to work, Yuugi had decided to drive into Seattle and treat himself to an eight dollar coffee, hoping to calm the butterflies in his stomach.

Clearly however, his plan had backfired. Though Yuugi had suspected that KaibaCorp would do a stellar job covering up yesterday's accident, he felt exposed _himself_ to learn just how far the corporation's influence extended. It just seemed so… _dirty_. Yuugi shook his head at the thought, his blackish blonde spikes bouncing at the motion. _It's none of your business Yuugi_, he scolded himself, taking a long drag of his coffee. _Stop looking for trouble and just focus on your job. Today's your first day working with the specimen, you've gotta be on your game!_

Yuugi fingered his shark tooth earring absentmindedly as he glanced at the ornate clock against the wall; half an hour to go. If he left now, he would just be on the borderline of 'acceptably early' and 'crazy-excited-kid-on-his-first-day-of-school early', but he honestly doubted that he could wait another moment. _Eh, so maybe I am closer to 'crazy excited kid', but that doesn't mean that the world has to know it,_ he laughed inwardly, before swallowing the rest of his black coffee in one gulp, and wincing as the incredibly hot liquid scalded his throat. He then pushed up the sleeves of his black button up and walked over to the recycling bins to dispose of his empty cup (as a marine biologist, Yuugi had studied the horrors of pollution first hand, and he was always conscious to do his bit to preserve the environment), before nearly sprinting out of the exit door and leaping into his rusty red pick-up truck. _Yep_, he mused as he slid the keys into the ignition, feeling the butterflies leap to life with renewed vigor, _definitely a crazy, excited kid._

-o-

Yuugi managed to arrive at KaibaCorp without running anyone over, though there had been a close call with an elderly woman at an intersection. However, he had inwardly dismissed the incident by deceiving himself into believing that he had been in complete control, and thus the near accident had already been shafted to the far, dusty recesses of his memory. In fact, by the time he strode through KaibaCorp's pristine, white main entrance lobby, he had forgotten the incident entirely.

"Morning Rebecca," he chimed cheerfully as he walked past the receptionist's desk, punctuating his statement with a little wave. The younger blonde grinned happily in response, but indicated the black telephone she held to her ear with an apologetic shrug. Yuugi nodded in understanding and continued on to the hallways and locker room.

Despite the early hour, the locker room was filled with people, and much to Yuugi's chagrin, most of the conversations that morning revolved around The Seattle Times's article. Faking stupidity, Yuugi managed to navigate the gossiping employees and quietly made his way to his locker. Luckily, none of his close friends had arrived yet, and he snagged his lab coat, his notebook and his ID card without much more than a few cheerful waves at faces that he vaguely recognized. Of course, that was until…

"Hey Yuugi!" Mako Tsunami's obnoxiously loud voice called over the soft buzz of conversation, as the dark haired man made his way in Yuugi's direction. Yuugi groaned inwardly, feeling like a heel for wanting to escape but he was entirely too anxious to chat with the talkative marine biologist at the moment. However, he plastered a carefree smile on his face as he tolerantly waited for his muscular friend to reach him.

"Morning Mako, how's it going?" Yuugi asked quickly, hoping to receive a short answer in return.

"Not too bad," Mako replied with a grin, "but did you hear about Valon? Everyone's going nuts this morning about it! I mean, it makes sense, like, Valon's a good guy, probably the best outta _that_ team, but 'shark attack'? When was the last time there was a shark attack in Seattle? Something seems a little fishy if you ask me; ha, pun intended."

"Don't really know much about it," Yuugi rushed, shifting his weight awkwardly and clutching his notebook against his chest. He was a terrible liar, and it was only a matter of time before he started blushing, stuttering and sweating; he just hoped that he would be out of there before he gave himself away. "But I mean, Seattle's the perfect habitat for the great white shark right? Right temperature, pollution isn't bad, there's plenty of food-"

Mako laughed heartily. "Bad joke Yuugi," he reprimanded jokingly, slapping his smaller friend on the back. Yuugi winced as he realized that his choice of words hadn't been the best. "So, what are you working on today?"

"Oh ya know," Yuugi replied vaguely, fiddling with his Maori necklace as his brain tried desperately to come up with something believable. "Lots of lab work today," he decided on, which was true for the most part.

"Eh, tough break," Mako said sympathetically.

"Yeah, Dr. Pegasus is really riding me hard these days," Yuugi agreed, before clapping a hand over his mouth. Mako's dark blue eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but they soon narrowed in glee as Mako began hollering with laughter.

"And he's two for two today," he mocked, "Yuugi's definitely not in good shape today folks." Yuugi glared at him good-naturedly, before sticking out his small pink tongue in frustration. Mako's tanned fingers quickly grabbed at the appendage, causing Yuugi to close his mouth with a little squeal.

"Well, I'll let you get back to Peggy," Mako added sweetly. "He's sure got you working up a sweat huh? I bet you do all _kinds_ of things for him hmmm? The sub-basement gets kinda lonely right?"

"Ew, ew, **ew**!" Yuugi exclaimed, "that is so gross Mako!"

"Peggy and Yuugi sitting in a tree," Mako sang in return. "F-U-C-K-I-N-"

"You are such a child!" Yuugi interrupted, growling at his friend. Mako was clutching his sides to keep from doubling over with laughter, his spiky hair bobbing violently as he nearly toppled to the floor. "I'm going to go work now!" Yuugi announced, hurrying towards the exit door, his notebook swinging wildly with his left arm.

"See you at lunch!" Mako hollered as Yuugi disappeared from sight. "Unless of course, you're too _busy _with Pegasus_!" _Yuugi didn't even bother to dignify that comment with a response.

-o-

Yuugi sat at one of the workstations, reading through a large stack of reports, his feet propped up on the desk. Unsurprisingly, he had been the first one to arrive in the laboratory that morning; luckily, Rebecca had had time to update his security clearances or else he would have been left to stand outside in the hallway like an idiot. However, as that was not the case, he had been left to his own devices; and, as he was still atoning for yesterday's near disaster, he decided to take some of the systematic grunt work off of Dr. Pegasus's shoulders.

A sudden splash caused him to look up from his paper and glance towards the large aquarium in the back of the room. The water had settled and was no longer murky, and Yuugi could make out a pair of flashing crimson eyes glaring at him from the far corner. The hybrid had been asleep when he had first arrived that morning; he was probably still re-energizing after expending so much energy the day before, and Yuugi had thought it best just to let him be. However, now that the damned creature had started staring at him, Yuugi knew that he wouldn't get any more work done. Fixing the hybrid with a glare of his own, he forcefully flung the report onto the desk, before kicking his chair away and standing.

"Why do you do that?" Yuugi asked as he marched over to the aquarium and pressed his forehead against the glass. Atem scuttled back at Yuugi's approach, coiling his multi-coloured tentacles more tightly around his body, and crossing his caramel skinned, human arms across his chest. "You aren't all _that_ scary," Yuugi added crossly as the hybrid barred his sharp teeth in warning, "in fact, I don't know why I was frightened of you in the first place!" However, Yuugi couldn't help but feel the tiniest bit disconcerted as the creature continued to glare at him evilly, and even ran its small, pink tongue over its fangs.

Yuugi finally ended his square off with the hybrid when he heard a small ruckus outside in the hallway. Sure enough, within moments, the lab door swung open to emit two men in white lab coats, one wheeling a metal hospital gurney armed with many wiry restraints, the other engrossed in reading whatever was on his clipboard. Both men were tall, with pale skin, angular features and long, smooth hair; however, their expressions couldn't have been more different. While the one dragging the trolley had excitement shining in his brown eyes and a childish grin of glee plastered on his face, the other looked almost bored as he skimmed his notes.

"Good morning Yuugi!" the happier of the two exclaimed cheerfully, releasing his hold on the gurney, which Yuugi suddenly recognized to be the very same trolley that had rolled the injured Dr. Valon to the medical bay, and skipping over to Yuugi's side. "Are you all ready for your first day of testing?"

"Sure am, Dr. Pegasus!" Yuugi replied enthusiastically, though his violet eyes flicked to the other man curiously. He vaguely recognized him from the previous day.

"Oh, how rude of me!" Dr. Pegasus said. "Yuugi, this is my esteemed colleague and KaibaCorp's Head of Genetics, Dr. Dartz. Dr. Dartz, this is my new protégé, Yuugi Mutou!"

The green haired man finally looked up from his clipboard, his blue eyes intently scanning Yuugi from top to bottom. After several long moments, he nodded curtly at the intern before returning to his reading. "Don't mind him," Dr. Pegasus whispered loudly, "he can be a little bit antisocial sometimes."

"I can hear you Max," Dr. Dartz answered with a tinge of annoyance, "and I'm not being antisocial. I'm merely trying to assure that the specimen doesn't destroy another four hundred thousand dollars worth of equipment."

"Oh, you worry too much," Dr. Pegasus scolded in return, dismissing the geneticist's worries with a swish of his hand. Turning to Yuugi he added, "We had a tiny incident with Atem's breathing machine and lifting arm last time; I'm afraid Atem was a little too forceful when we tried to remove him from his tank."

"By too forceful, he means that the damned beast managed to rip apart and ruin several pieces of state of the art technology that cost KaibaCorp more than my annual salary," a harsh voice sniped as the laboratory door opened again to emit a lean man with wild, spiky white locks and a permanently sour look etched into his features.

"Yes Bakura, and that's precisely what we'd like to avoid this time," Dr. Dartz confirmed shortly. "As for the machinery you mentioned, what's the status on the repairs?"

"The Engineering Department is slow as molasses as usual," Bakura sneered, "and the 'Mahado' man was asking lots of questions. However, he seems to think the repairs won't take longer than a few days, a week at most."

Dr. Dartz frowned, but replied steadily with: "Then we'll have to make due until then. Max, if you could brief Yuugi on today's procedures, Bakura and I can get started on the tranquilization. Unfortunately, the maximum dose won't keep him out for long, so we will have to work quickly once it's been injected."

"Tranquilize away," Dr. Pegasus ordered flippantly, "and Akefia, do be careful with him this time hmm? I don't think Atem appreciated the last time you pinched his tentacle." Bakura scowled at the marine biologist and rolled his chocolate brown eyes, but still nodded in agreement.

"So Yuugi," Dr. Pegasus began as Dr. Dartz and Bakura walked over to the long row of cabinets above the work stations. Yuugi could hear the tinkering of glass bottles being shifted around as the two doctors prepared the various materials they would need. "Today is just a routine examination day, consisting of a few skin samples, blood tests and the like. However, as Dr. Bakura mentioned, due to a teensy problem last time, there will be a few changes to today's proceedings. Atem, you see, doesn't respond very well to sedatives, and I'm afraid only a lethal dose would put him out completely; so, as you can imagine, we generally like to stay away from them," Dr. Pegasus explained, pausing to give Yuugi time to assimilate everything that he was being told. "But, as our usual method of lifting him, fully alert mind you, to the examination table will not be possible today, I'm afraid we will have to resort to them."

"But you said that the tranquilizers won't put him out," Yuugi mentioned softly, his violet eyes still following Bakura's movements across the room. "So how will you _get_ him out?"

"Oh, there's nothing to worry about," Dr. Pegasus soothed, "while he won't be unconscious, he will certainly not be in any position to harm himself or others." Yuugi nodded uncertainly, but beckoned for his boss to continue. "Now, once he is sedated, Dr. Bakura will lift Atem from the aquarium and it will be our job to position him on the table. It is very important that this is done quickly; not only because the sedative will wear off, but also because we only have a window of about seven minutes before Atem will suffocate, and we will need all the time that we can get to run our tests. As Dr. Bakura mentioned, Atem damaged his breather last time, so we will have to rely on our stopwatches."

"I thought Atem had a set of human lungs as well," Yuugi frowned, vividly remembering the detail from yesterday. "Shouldn't he be able to stay out of the water indefinitely; or at least, for a longer period of time?"

"Well, Atem's lungs are not strong enough to support him I'm afraid," Dr. Pegasus negated. "Of course, if he began to use them regularly, there's a chance that they could be strengthened, but you see, he isn't entirely _fond_ of being out of the water."

"Understatement of the century," Yuugi heared Bakura mutter, as the white haired biologist lifted a large container of pinkish fluid from the cabinet and deposited it next to the aquarium. "Ready when you, Dartz. Let's get this blood bath started."

"Max, have you finished briefing Yuugi?" Dr. Dartz asked blandly, pointedly ignoring Bakura's less than helpful commentary.

"I believe so," Dr. Pegasus chirped, "do you have any more questions Yuugi?"

"No sir, I'm ready," the intern replied bravely, fixing his boss with a determined stare.

"Wonderful!" Dr. Pegasus exclaimed, his wide smile pulling at the skin around his almond shaped eyes, "then, Dr. Bakura, you are free to proceed!"

"_Wonderful_," Bakura mocked as he began to carefully climb the rickety, metal ladder that ran up left side of Atem's aquarium. Upon reaching the top, he hauled himself onto a precarious perch along the metal frame of the tank and glared warily at the water. "Dartz, would you pass me the sedative, and for hell's sake, keep an eye on that thing?"

Dr. Dartz nodded and strode towards the aquarium, passing the large glass vial up to the snarky biologist, and settling his cool eyes on the mass of black, crimson and gold tentacles that were still curled up in the far corner of the tank. Yuugi gazed at the hybrid's naturally tanned, pointed face and noted that the deep crimson eyes were narrowed angrily and fixed in an upwards glare at Bakura. Bakura scowled back at the demon and quickly dumped the entire contents of the jar into the aquarium, before climbing carefully back down the ladder.

"Do you think it'll work this time?" the white haired biologist asked curiously as he hopped off the last step, threw off his lab coat and began unbuttoning his white shirt. Yuugi's eyes widened in shock until he realized that Bakura was wearing a thin, black wetsuit underneath his office attire. Several moments later, the full force of Bakura's words hit Yuugi like a steel block to the gut.

"Wait, this time'?" Yuugi asked fearfully, hating the way his voice squeaked as he posed the question.

"Yes, this time runt," Bakura replied nastily, quickly removing his black dress pants as well, "what did you think that Valon and I were trying to do when the demon nearly ripped his leg off?" Yuugi gaped like a beached fish for a few moments, feeling physically ill, before running a nervous hand through his blonde fringe of bangs. _Oh boy_, he thought miserably, as he watched the pink sedative flow into the aquarium and begin mixing with the clear water.

Atem's red, cat-like eyes widened as the pink swirls streamed towards him, his lips pulling back into an animalistic snarl that showed his fierce rows of razor sharp teeth. The hybrid lurched away from the still visible sedative, pressing his lean torso and messy array of tentacles against the glass of his aquarium desperately trying to escape the tranquilizer. Yuugi felt an uncomfortable pluck at his heartstrings as he saw pure, unadulterated fear blend into Atem's features until the hybrid was consumed by it. His nostrils flared, and his jaw clenched as he sought desperately to get away, but a tinge of sad acceptance in his eyes convinced Yuugi that the creature already knew that it was futile. Slowly, Yuugi watched as the sedatives finally took effect, and the brilliant, crimson orbs slid shut until they were slits, and the tense limbs began to relax. The intern couldn't help the pull of pity in his chest as he watched the dazed hybrid rising gradually to the top, until it was floating limply at the surface.

Several moments of silence passed as the doctors waited to see if the creature would reawaken. When it appeared that he would not, Bakura exhaled loudly, before making his way back up the ladder, clad only his wetsuit. When he reached the top, he paused to pull his wild, white locks into a messy ponytail and said harshly, "Get that gurney ready, I want to finish this as quickly as possible." At Dr. Pegasus's nod, the biologist jumped in the aquarium with a large splash submerging most of his body in the process, before swimming expertly towards the floating Atem.

"You heard Dr. Bakura, Yuugi," Dr. Pegasus said quickly, using a business-like tone. "Now if you would help me wheel the trolley over to the ladder – yes that's perfect- we will try to position it as best as we can beneath them, so all that Bakura has to do is _gently_ place Atem down onto the covering." Dr. Pegasus's emphasis on the word 'gently' gave Yuugi reason to believe that Dr. Pegasus was lecturing Bakura as well.

The white haired biologist had wrapped a black clad arm around Atem's thin waist, and was moving with impressive speed back towards the metal frame of the aquarium. Yuugi felt nervous as he watched the hybrid twitch in Bakura's grasp; though he wasn't particularly fond of the biologist, the pale man was most definitely in danger at the moment. With one, smooth motion, Bakura lifted both himself and the hybrid from the water, and proceeded to unceremoniously drop Atem the five or so feet from the top of the aquarium onto the gurney, before continuing down the ladder himself. Despite his fear of the specimen, Yuugi was appalled at the treatment of the hybrid and was about to comment, but Dr. Pegasus beat him to the punch.

"Bakura!" Dr. Pegasus shouted angrily, "What did I tell you about being careful with him?"

"If you're so concerned," Bakura snapped back, releasing his wet hair from the hair tie and shaking his head like a dog, "then you jump in next time. Excuse me if I don't want to put my life on the line longer than necessary just to ensure that your little pet is _comfortable_."

For the first time in his life, Yuugi saw Dr. Pegasus at a loss for words. After several moments of intense silence, Dr. Dartz finally said mildly, "If you are finished, gentlemen, we have a specimen to secure. Now, if you don't mind…" he trailed off, gesturing to the hybrid, whose tentacles had already begun wriggling slightly. Bakura nodded shortly, before retreating to a corner of the laboratory to change out of his wetsuit.

"Yuugi, help me secure his tentacles," Dr. Pegasus ordered calmly, reaching for the closet set of metal restraints. "Two cuffs per tentacle if you don't mind, one at the top and one at the bottom. Dr. Dartz, if you would be so kind, please secure his arms and head."

Yuugi immediately reached for a splotchy tentacle, hardly daring to breath as he fastened a metal cuff around a golden patch on the thicker, upper half of the appendage. The tentacles were incredibly slimy, with a rough coat of suckers along the bottom of each, and so were very hard to keep a hold of. Nonetheless, Yuugi worked quickly to complete his task, though he jumped each time one of the limbs moved.

"Well done Yuugi," Dr. Pegasus praised as Yuugi clicked the final cuff closed. The intern nodded in gratitude and gazed at the mess of tentacles, now decorated with small bands of metal that glinted under the harsh, fluorescent lighting. The image looked like it belonged in a scene from Frankenstein, Atem arranged the way he was on the gurney: with his arms bolted down and facing upwards, and his head secured in a thick metal brace that adorned his damp, spiky hair like a circlet.

"Specimen secure," Dr. Dartz announced clinically, retrieving his clip board and pen and checking off a small box on the attached paper. "Now Max, you'd like to run a few venom samples correct? And I'd like to take a more blood test in addition to the routine check-up. Bakura can take the scale samples, while you and Yuugi check its eyes and teeth."

"Wonderful plan of attack Dr. Dartz," Dr. Pegasus said, smiling warmly. "And you are quite right about the venom samples; it's been terribly difficult to have to the surgeons keep the poisoning in Valon's wound to themselves, but they've agreed to keep it quiet if I have an antidote prepared by this evening."

"Then we best not waste any time," Dr. Dartz replied professionally, as he walked quickly over to the nearest desk table, where he had laid out a vast array of materials on a white towel. Selecting several empty vials, a long needle, a swab and a bottle of rubbing alcohol, he returned to the examination table and methodically began searching for a vein in the crook of the hybrid's elbow. As Yuugi stood, mesmerized by watching the geneticist work, he noticed for the first time that Atem had a thin, greenish hued membrane between his fingers, almost like a fin.

"Yuugi, if you would please grab me the small flashlight, a throat swab, a wooden popsicle stick, the scissors, and a small jar, we can get started right away," Dr. Pegasus requested politely, interrupting Yuugi's observations as he tiptoed carefully around Dr. Dartz and came to a halt by Atem's head. Yuugi rushed over to the work station, pausing momentarily to collect the requested objects, before jogging back to Dr. Pegasus's side.

"Thank you," Dr. Pegasus said kindly. "Now, I would like to take a venom sample first, and as we have recently discovered, Atem stores his venom both in his teeth and in the back of his throat. As I'm sure you will agree, the venom will be far easier to retrieve from his throat, so, I am going to prop his mouth open with the popsicle stick, and you are going to quickly swab the back of his throat."

"Okay," Yuugi confirmed, glancing warily at the sharp fangs between himself and his goal. He heard Bakura scoff as the biologist rejoined the others and immediately set about searing away at a crimson blotch on Atem's tentacles, with a scalpel that he had apparently procured out of thin air.

"No need to look so frightened, Yuugi boy," Dr. Pegasus teased, running a spidery hand casually through his long, white locks, "I'm sure you will perform this task with the same aptitude you do the rest!"

"If you say so," Yuugi muttered unsurely.

"All right then," Dr. Pegasus chirped. "Open up Atem," he cooed sweetly, prodding at the limp lips with his long finger. "Come on, come on," he encouraged, prying the strong jaws open with his hands, "there's a good boy!" Dr. Pegasus slipped the popsicle stick between Atem's upper and lower teeth, propping the hybrid's mouth open in what Yuugi felt would be a very uncomfortable position. Atem growled angrily, but was still too groggy to understand what was happening. "He's all yours Yuugi!"

Quickly, Yuugi nipped in beside Dr. Pegasus, and with the deep breath he plunged the throat swab into the Atem's mouth and did a careful few swipes of the creature's throat. He quickly withdrew the swab and noted with satisfaction that a coat of greenish tinged fluid now covered the cotton ball at the end. "Oh well done, well done," Dr. Pegasus exclaimed eagerly, "now if you would please place the venom in this vial and snip off the end, I would be much obliged." With that, Dr. Pegasus yanked the popsicle stick out from between Atem's jaws, causing the hybrid's pointy teeth to close with an audible click.

Yuugi quickly did what he was told, screwing the top onto the vial once he was done. Carefully, he placed the vial back onto the desk, before turning his light purple eyes back to the hybrid. What he saw made him jump in shock.

The hybrid was awake now; perhaps not completely lucid, as his crimson eyes appeared unable to focus for long, but he was certainly no longer in the daze that he had been placed under. Yuugi noted that the once slack muscles of the creature's abdomen and arms were taught and tight, and the splotchy tentacles had been to wriggle with more vigor. The creature looked at Yuugi with a mixture of hatred and fear as he tried to move but could not, but Yuugi forced himself not to wilt under the gaze. Instead, he calmly pointed his observations out to Dr. Pegasus, who stood behind the creature's head.

"Ah, so he is," Dr. Pegasus confirmed, seeming entirely unconcerned. Yuugi tensed as Atem's cat-like eyes widened in terror; apparently the hybrid recognized Dr. Pegasus's voice. "It's a good thing we have finished with his teeth. Now by my watch," he continued, glancing down at the stopwatch around his pale wrist, "we still have two minutes and twelve seconds left. Dr. Dartz, how are you doing with your blood samples?"

"Finished," Dr. Dartz replied clinically, holding up two large vials filled with thick, reddish brown blood. Atem's eyes flicked from his own arm to Dr. Dartz's face, and he immediately began struggling violently.

"Fuck!" Bakura shrieked as the tail end of the tentacle he had been working on clipped him beneath the chin, knocking him off balance. "You were supposed to _secure_ them you idiot!" he shouted at Yuugi, pointing an accusing digit at the intern.

"S-Sorry!" Yuugi replied bashfully, dropping his eyes to the floor. Bakura flared his nostrils, but he did not berate the younger male further.

"That's quite all right Yuugi," Dr. Pegasus soothed gently, "you did very well for your first time."

"Thanks," Yuugi whispered.

"We've just about completed everything," Dr. Dartz said efficiently, his stormy eyes performing a last minute check of his clipboard, "which is just as well, since we're out of time anyway. Max, Bakura and I noticed that we're out of sedative, would you mind visiting the supply cupboard while I drop these samples off at the lab?"

"Not at all," Dr. Pegasus agreed graciously, turning on his heel smoothly and striding towards the laboratory door, his white coat and hair billowing behind him like a banner.

"Yuugi, while I drop these vials off next door, would you mind testing the specimen's pupil dilations? Use the standard procedure you were taught in school, and record your results on this clipboard," Dr. Dartz instructed, handing his notes and pen to Yuugi. "If you have any questions, ask Bakura. Dr. Pegasus and I should be back in a few moments."

"Okay," Yuugi said as the geneticist collected the blood and venom samples, and followed Dr. Pegasus out into the hallway. Yuugi looked over, rather stupidly, at Bakura, who had already returned to the far end of the laboratory to change into a different wetsuit.

"All right Atem," he muttered bravely, "it's just you and me now." He glanced down warily at the hybrid, who had once again fixed him with his piercing, red stare. "I know you don't like this at all, but the quicker I can check your eyes, the quicker both of us can be happy and get you back into the water." Quickly, he grabbed the small flashlight and turned on the light. With a shaky hand, he reached for Atem's crimson eye and pulled on the corner. He quickly jumped back when the creature growled angrily and began bucking its body against the gurney.

"Sorry," he placated softly, "I know you have no idea what's going on, and I can tell you're really scared and confused, but I promise I'll get this done as quickly as I can." Once again, he reached for the flashing crimson eye, and, ignoring the glare, shone the light at the pupil. The cat-like slit dilated into a thin line, and Yuugi hummed in approval. Oddly enough, his voice seemed to calm the nervous hybrid, as the creature stopped struggling wildly and simply stared at him uncertainly.

"Okay, so far so good," he whispered encouragingly, "one more to go." He quickly stepped over to Atem's other side, and repeated the process with similar results. "Both eyes are reacting normally," he reported quietly, jotting down a small note as speedily as he could. "Now, where are Dr. Pegasus and Dr. Dartz so we can get you back in the water?"

However, it seemed that he had lost Atem's attention, as the hybrid's eyes suddenly widened impossibly; his pupils contracting into nearly invisible slits. Atem began throwing his body around frantically, rattling the metal restraints; it looked almost as though the hybrid was having a panic attack. Yuugi looked around frantically to see what had spooked the creature, and finding nothing, batted his large eyes in confusion. Suddenly, the answer hit him like a star falling from the sky.

_Oh no, Atem's suffocating,_ he thought desperately, _he's been out of the water too long! Where in God's name is Dr. Pegasus?_ "Dr. Bakura," he shouted shakily, "Atem's suffocating! We've got to get him back into the water!"

Bakura didn't even bother to turn around as he continued to pull on the wetsuit . "Good," he said bluntly, slipping the wetsuit over his hips. "Maybe the menace will do us all a favor and pack it in."

Yuugi gasped in outrage, but decided that he didn't have time to deal with Bakura's stubborn cruelty. Realizing that he couldn't put the hybrid back into the aquarium by himself, his shoulders hunched sadly. "I'm so sorry," he whispered shakily into the frantic hybrid's human ears, his heart actually hurting to see the creature suffer. "I wish I could help." Throwing caution into the wind he reached out and began stroking the creature's coarse, multi-coloured hair, making soothing noises deep in his throat. Vaguely, he noticed how _human_ Atem's hair felt, almost identical to his own in fact, though perhaps slightly rougher due to the long exposure to the salty aquarium water.

Atem immediately stopped struggling as he felt Yuugi's gentle fingers sweep along his hair and scalp, and his angular eyes blinked at the intern in confusion and pain. "It's okay, don't worry, they'll be back really soon," Yuugi whispered in a soothing mantra, causing the hybrid to shiver but nonetheless stop struggling. _Hurry up_, Yuugi though frantically he noticed the hybrid's clenched fangs.

Suddenly, the laboratory door burst open, causing Yuugi to yank his hand from Atem's hair as though burned. Atem began thrashing again, no longer distracted from what Yuugi knew was the searing pain of convulsing muscles. "Dr. Pegasus!" Yuugi hollered hysterically as the senior marine biologist strode into view, carrying a vial of pink sedative in his hand. "Atem's dying, we have to get him back into the aquarium!"

Dr. Pegasus's lips tightened as he dashed towards the gurney, scooping up a new needle along the way. "That took less time than I thought it would. Yuugi, I need to you hold him down while I inject the tranquilizer; please do not let him move, I need to be very precise with this dose. Direct injection is far more challenging than sedating Atem absorption. He could die if this is not done correctly."

"Okay, okay," Yuugi agreed quickly, leaping forward and throwing all of his weight down on Atem's twitching arm. Dr. Pegasus's brown eyes lit in approval as he expertly maneuvered around his intern and injected the hybrid with clinical precision. Within moments, the flailing hybrid had begun relax, though whether this was from the tranquilizer or if Atem had finally succumbed to the lack of oxygen, Yuugi wasn't sure.

"Bakura, come here _now_," Dr. Pegasus commanded, and to Yuugi's surprise, the wild biologist hurried to the examination gurney. "We need to undo these restraints and get Atem back into the water." The three set about their work in an uneasy silence, and within moments, Atem was completely free of the metal cuffs.

"Akefia, please return Atem to his aquarium," Dr. Pegasus said shortly, and the biologist threw the hybrid of his shoulder and steadily climbed the rickety ladder with one hand. Once he reached the top, the white haired biologist jumped into the water, pulling the hybrid down to the aquarium floor, before pushing himself off the bottom and rocketing to the surface. Yuugi refused to look at Bakura, keeping his anxious, violet stare at the still hybrid.

_Please start moving_, he thought desperately, noting just how _innocent_ Atem looked with his eyes closed and his lips closed. In fact, he looked almost… _human_. Yuugi tried to shake the thought from his brain, remembering from his teachings that personifying a specimen made them that much harder to study, but now that the thought had taken root, it was impossible to destroy. _Please, __**please**__,_ he begged. Minutes went by.

Suddenly, an inky tentacle twitched and curled in on itself, the rest eventually following suit. The splotchy combination of black, crimson and gold rippled into a tense bundle, before unleashing like a spring and propelling the hybrid into the foremost corner away from Yuugi. Blood red eyes opened uncertainly, glancing around nervously, before closing in relief. Atem sunk to the bottom of the tank, wrapping his caramel human arms around his chest and burying his face into the dark mass that was his lower half. Yuugi felt his heart drop as he watched the hybrid curl into a shivering mass, and if Yuugi didn't know better, he would have said that the creature was sobbing.

"Thank you for your help, Yuugi and Akefia," Dr. Pegasus said politely, wiping a thin sheen of sweat from his creamy, pale forehead. "If it hadn't been for you both, Atem may not have survived the morning."

Yuugi fumed inwardly as heard the head marine biologist's kind words, remembering Bakura's stubborn refusal to help. He glared hatefully at the back of the white haired biologist; what kind of person would willingly throw away the life of a living creature if they had the ability to help? _Bakura's a complete snake_, he heard Duke's voice mutter in the back of his mind, and in a completely rare spurt of anger, he decided that the words did not even began to describe the selfish, _cruel_ man.

"Well, I believe it's time to break for lunch," Dr. Pegasus announced happily, completely ignorant of Yuugi's judging thoughts. "Yuugi, you did wonderfully today!"

"Thank you sir," Yuugi replied shortly, forcing a sweet tone through his gritted teeth. He had never been more eager to escape a room before in his life. "I'll see you in an hour," he added quickly, sparing a concerned glance at Atem who was still curled up in a shivering ball at the bottom of his aquarium, before bolting quickly out the door.

-o-

His new friends had known that something was up, and Yuugi wished terribly that he could talk to them about what he was feeling. That however, was impossible; not only because he was legally bound to keep his mouth shut, but also because he wasn't entirely sure of his emotions himself. He knew that he had been unusually quiet throughout lunch; Duke and Mana had certainly mentioned it enough. As he worked quietly at the work station closest to the door, he wondered if he was really cut out for this type of work.

It was strange, he mused, as he scrawled messy notes in the columns of various research article, how he could go from wanting something so much to desperately wanting to escape it in the span of twenty four hours. He wasn't used to this whole 'questioning himself' business; up until today, he hadn't even known that second guessing himself was in his nature once he was sure about something. And, something that he had always been sure of was science. It was measurable, it saved lives, and there was a clear right and wrong answer to every question; what could possibly be simpler than that?

Yuugi's pale hand froze in its note taking as his mind tripped over the words 'right and wrong'. That's what it really came down to, he decided numbly, ethics. The experiments he had seen conducted on Atem that day, in fact, the entire concept of Atem's existence, was almost the polar opposite of what he would consider ethical. Yet, it was as Dr. Pegasus had explained the previous day; learning about Atem could save lives some day, _human_ lives, and what could be more noble than that? However, as he glanced at the hybrid, face buried in its tentacles and body still coiled into a rigid, trembling ball of misery, nothing seemed simple _or_ noble anymore.

Yuugi groaned, pressing the palms of his hands to his temples in frustration. _Where is all of this philosophical bullshit coming from?_ he growled mentally, slamming his fists down onto the table with surprising force. _Just… stop_. He was already burnt out as it was; he didn't need his conscience to tire him out further. He just needed to do his work diligently and then get out of there. It was straight forward and easy.

Or at least, that's what he kept telling himself.

-o-

He didn't understand. He didn't understand and it was killing him; no, _they _were killing him. Each time the demons ripped him from his home to torture him, he lost a small part of himself to their harsh hands. To them he was nothing, and nothing was his, not even his own body; his body that ached from that vicious substance and throbbed where they had ripped away layers of his tentacles. He snarled deeply, the sound pulling itself from deep in his chest. They would all pay someday, he vowed vehemently.

He started upon realizing that for the first time, his bloody thoughts gave him no comfort, no solace. Perhaps his mind was unconsciously aware that something was wrong. He slowly lifted his head, his eyes blinking rapidly as they adjusted to his now dark surroundings. He released a small sigh of relief; no lights meant no barbarians. Cautiously, he uncurled his tangled mass of dark tentacles, clenching them tensely and preparing to act if necessary. It would do him no good against the demons, he knew this, but he would never, _never_ surrender without a fight.

Warily, he glanced around the laboratory, his vision impeded by the lack of light. Wait… what was that? A flicker of something caught his attention, though it was not yet close enough to be considered a threat. Nonetheless, it required further investigation before it could be dismissed. Silently, he slid through the water, careful not to disturb the surface, and approached the thick pane of glass separating him from the rest of the laboratory

He squinted his angular eyes at the light in the distance, but jumped as the surrounding objects finally slid into focus. A barbarian was still there! He rocketed backwards, feeling the liquid around him swirl violently. He remained completely still for several impossibly long moments, entirely alert, and he could hear a terrible thumping in his ears. Clenching his jaw, he waited to see what would happen next. When nothing did, he fixed a heated glare in the barbarian's direction, torn between fear, hatred and curiosity.

The creature was hunched over in its seat, its upper body resting heavily on the table in front of it; it appeared to be unconscious. He felt his muscles release some of their tension as he glanced around the room, confirming that the demon was alone. It was the newest creature, he quickly decided, recognizing the black and gold locks that lay in small spikes atop its head. This one was the most confusing of the bunch.

His scalp tingled as he felt phantom fingers work their way through his mane, remembering the almost pleasant sensation of the creature's hand in his hair. He shook in disgust at the thought; no, they were all the same, cruel, and not to be associated with anything remotely pleasing. 'Pleasing' was reserved for his revenge only. _Yet,_ a treacherous corner of his mind added darkly, _this one was gentle, almost… kind?_

_NO!_ he exclaimed mentally, ripping his eyes from the sleeping creature, ignoring how the dull light caused its porcelain skin to glow. He would not look for a savior in these barbarians; he would not dare to let himself hope and risk having his dreams, the only things that were truly _his_, be crushed and torn away. Curse him, for even allowing the thought to cross his mind. _No_, curse the _barbarian _for causing him to question everything he knew. It was _their _fault, it was _always _their fault.

He flared his tentacles angrily, basking as a familiar feeling of loathing washed over body. He focused on his hatred for the demons, successfully clearing his head and hacking through his mental forest of conflicting thoughts with his metaphorical machete of detestation. This was what he understood, _this _was what kept him going long after his hope of… whatever it was he longed for, deserted him. But, most importantly, this was what would one day lead him to what he sought above all else; his revenge. He would make them pay for each action one thousand times over, make no mistake. He grinned in satisfaction.


	6. Chapter Five

**DISCLAIMER**: I don't worn Yu-Gi-Oh! or the characters.

**GENERAL NOTES:** Maelstrom is back after a long, two year hiatus. I wish I could say I'm sorry but honestly, university got in the way. However, I'm now a proud graduate and happy to say, I'm back to pursue my other passion - writing! Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait - feedback, as always is appreciated. I've really been looking forward to a certain scene... it was great fun to write!

On that note, thank you to everyone who didn't give up on Maelstrom. I'm going back through it, fixing it up, and hopefully, it will become the story it was always meant to be. More updates can be found in my profile.

Without further ado, I give you... Chapter Five!

**-Maelstrom-**

_By: Lindelle_

**Chapter Five: Out of Sight, Out of Mind**

Yuugi yawned as he trudged into the deserted laboratory, his violet eyes burning with exhaustion. His eventful first week working on Project 56 had finally blurred into Friday evening, and though it was only eight o'clock, Yuugi felt thoroughly wiped out. _Battling with Atem has really taken the energy out of me_, Yuugi reflected, pulling out his desk chair and throwing himself into it. _Man, that thing is tough_.

Dully, Yuugi switched his gaze to the large aquarium along the far wall. Vaguely, he could make out the hybrid's shadowy figure pressed up against the back of the tank, its tentacles pooling around it in a protective shell. It appeared to be asleep.

"'Lo Atem," Yuugi greeted dully, lifting two fingers in a tired wave. It had become something of a habit to acknowledge the creature whenever he walked into the room; the same way people spoke to their pets when nobody was around. Though the hybrid gave him nothing but grief, it still gave him bizarre company during the long night shifts.

"Speaking of night shifts, let's get started so I can get out of here hmm?" Yuugi said to himself, ruffling through haphazardly piled pieces of paper on his disorganized mess of a desk. He had tried to keep the surface clean, he really had; but between Bakura barking orders and Dr. Pegasus making sly comments at his expense, he abandoned the pretense of being an organized person and just worked the way he was comfortable. His work habits, however, were not without their difficulties.

"Where the _hell_ are Atem's charts?" Yuugi growled in frustration, searching through the chaos until he finally found the small, red file folder that he was looking for, one that simply read 'Updates'. No files were labeled with Atem's name or Project Number in the unlikely case that there was ever a security breach; though to be honest, if there was a breach in security, labels were probably the _last_ thing KaibaCorp would have to worry about.

"Let's see what's new with you," Yuugi mumbled to the creature hidden away in the dark tank, flipping the folder open and scanning the preliminary test schedule quickly. "Well, according to your tests, everything seems normal," Yuugi reported happily, "well, as normal as you can get. Now, I just have to record all of that-" he pointed to a significantly high stack of paper on his desk "-into this file, and I am free to go!"

_To Hooters_, a teasing voice supplied in his mind, causing Yuugi to blush as he remember his promise to go out with his friends. He momentarily considered faking an illness or a last minute project, but truthfully, he was a miserable liar and on the off chance he got away with lying to his friends, he would feel incredibly guilty about it later. _I'll just go for a bit, put in an appearance, then head out early_, he decided with a nod. After all, he had only promised that he would _go_ to Hooters, not that he would _stay_. Besides, he really needed to a pen a quick reply to Malik; if he waited much longer, the Ishtars would probably send out a search party.

Grabbing the data stack, Yuugi began entering the data by hand onto a blank chart in the red folder. It didn't take long for the numbers to start blurring together, and Yuugi fought to keep his eyes open. It didn't help that the only light he had to work with was his bright desk lamp; KaibaCorp's main light system deactivated automatically at seven to conserve power, giving an entirely new meaning to the expression 'burning the midnight oil'. Obviously, however, Yuugi needed to figure out a new way to stay awake.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. Humming casually to himself, he gathered his lamp, a pen, his files, and hard textbook to write on, and casually strolled over to the aquarium. When he reached the glass, he tapped on it lightly to rouse the demon within, before plunking down to sit cross-legged next to the aquarium.

Crimson eyes flew open from the far side of the tank and glared at Yuugi hatefully. From the hybrid's tense posture, Yuugi could tell that Atem was fixing to launch himself into motion if the situation required it, unwilling, as always, to go down without a fight. Instead of glaring back, however, Yuugi waved chipperly at the creature, before turning around so that his back rested against the aquarium glass. The cool temperature did wonders for his exhaustion, and within moments, he had successfully chilled himself awake.

As Yuugi returned to his work, diligently plugging numbers into their appropriate columns, he failed to notice the demon gliding cautiously towards him, its crimson eyes narrowed reproachfully. It wasn't until Atem was nearing the glass that Yuugi caught the flicker of motion in his peripheral vision, and whipped around look at the hybrid. He was slightly disappointed as Atem sped off to his dark corner, crossing his tanned arms and barring his fangs.

"Friendly as always," Yuugi chuckled, returning to his work with a shrug, though he kept his attention on the creature nearby. Much to his disappointment, Atem returned to his sulky position on the aquarium floor - though Yuugi didn't fail to notice the firm glare aimed in his direction. Not for the first time, Yuugi felt as though he was being analyzed, but banished those unsettling thoughts from his mind. _Atem is a fish_, Yuugi chided himself, _Dr. Pegasus told you that himself. He's a fish that doesn't analyze, doesn't plot, hell, doesn't even _understand _human emotions_. 

_Doesn't feel_? a rebellious voice mocked in question, a voice that Yuugi recognized as his own. Unconsciously, Yuugi remembered the chaotic jumble of emotions that pinched Atem's face when the hybrid was last held above land, suffocating before Yuugi's eyes. There was pain, there was anger, there was _fear_...

"No!" Yuugi exclaimed aloud, refusing to think about the situation any deeper. These experiments, these tests, were _not_ evil - and more importantly, neither was he for helping to conduct them. _What we learn here will save lives_, Yuugi thought with determination, _it's for the greater good_.

Pushing himself off the floor, he seized his debris in his hands, and nearly leapt the distance to his desk. Throwing himself into his chair, he tossed his data in front of him and forced himself to focus on his work, ignoring the hateful creature behind him. He just needed to finish this last set of numbers and then he would be free of this madness for two blissful days. _Out of sight, out of mind. _

-o-

He was forced awake by a deafening roar echoing through his tank. With a startled hiss, Atem launched himself awake, his crimson eyes flying open. Coiling his tentacles protectively, he searched frantically for the threat, until his gaze finally landed on the small barbarian standing at the far wall with its tiny hand raised to the glass. Unconsciously, Atem felt the tension in his muscles lessen slightly, though he did not go so far as to relax. On some level he knew that this barbarian in particular was less like to damage him than the rest, but that did not mean he would be letting his guard down any time soon. He settled on sending the figure a hate-filled glare, hoping to frighten it off. This one, he noted in delight, was easily intimidated.

It was a small blow to his pride when the barbarian did nothing move its mouth in an odd way and motion its arm. Atem supposed that he had been too lenient in the past if the creature was no longer frightened by him. Inwardly, he resolved to remedy the situation immediately, and he barred his fangs with malicious humour. Biding his time, he waited for the little barbarian to grow comfortable in his presence and settle itself against the glass, facing away from him. Then, with a predator's precision, he began a slow but silent approach, propelling himself through the murky water with ease. He fantasized about the fear that would sparkle in those purple eyes when he threw himself against the glass, the cruel thought as soothing as ice. Suddenly though, the violet eyes in his mind were replaced by something else... a cold, brown gaze... _his_ gaze... and Atem lost all coherent thought.

With a snarl, Atem burst forward, abandoning his previous precision and causing currents of upset water to swirl around him. He was overwhelmed with sudden rage and the urge to maim, to _kill, _to rend flesh from bone with his deadly fangs. Oh if only _he_ would grow compliant enough to enter the tank, then all of Atem's fantasies, his deepest desires would be real...

It was not until he was mere feet from the glass that he noticed the tiny, spiky barbarian had spun around to face him. The young male was watching Atem's movements curiously, unaware of the hybrid's bloody thoughts. However, it was enough to starle Atem viciously back into reality - he halted his trajectory and immediately scuttled back into the comforting darkness of his corner to collect himself. He was aware, of course, that the little menace could still see him, but at least he would be prepared if it approached him. Crossing his barbarian arms across his naked chest, he settled himself into the comforting embrace of his tentacles, his eyes daring the creature to enter his territory.

-o-

It was a quarter passed eleven when Yuugi finally arrived at Hooters in Seattle. He had purposefully avoided looking at Atem when he left the laboratory, though that could not prevent him from thinking about the hybrid. It was so much easier to think of Atem as an animal or a specimen when he was not looking at the creature's distinctively human upper body. Even now, he felt his confused conflict from earlier preying on the recesses of his mind, unwilling to be banished with the rest of his work worries.

However, it was Friday night, and Yuugi resolved to enjoy himself as he darted from the parking lot through the pouring rain and pulled open the restaurant's glass doors. The inside was just as he had suspected; dimly lit with garish orange signs and photographs plastered onto the wooden walls. The well-endowed waitresses were scampering around, skimpily clad, and oozing an air of practiced seduction. Yuugi blushed at the implication, but figured they were doing what they could to make ends meet, just like everyone else.

He spotted his work friends at a large, round table near the back and waved his hand in greeting. Mana's kind blue eyes were the first to find his, and her face lit up in a sparkling smile as she beckoned him over. As he arrived, Mana scooted over to make room, and indicated the spot next to her with a wave of her delicate hand.

"Yo Yuugi!" Duke bellowed in greeting, clapping Yuugi's shoulder in greeting as Yuugi slide into the spot next to Mana. His green eyes were slightly glazed, and Yuugi wondered if he was already drunk. "Where've you been man? We've been waiting for you forever!"

"Got caught up at work," Yuugi replied apologetically, his hands coming up to fiddle with his Maori necklace.

"Duke is just teasing you Yuugi," Mahado said kindly, "we have just arrived ourselves. However, Duke and Mako insisted on visiting The Brass Bar earlier this evening, so we have some catching up to do."

"Oh whew," Yuugi smiled, "I'm glad you didn't have to wait long for lil ol' me. And don't worry, a good drink is _exactly_ what I need after this week... though only one, since I've got a long drive." There, he had made his excuse. He could follow through with it in an hour or so.

"Peggy _riding_ you hard again?" Mako cackled, slapping his palm on the table in mirth. Yuugi fixed him with an amused glare and stuck out his tongue.

"I'll never live that one down will I?" he asked sarcastically, though his tone indicated that he wasn't actually upset.

"Nope!" Duke and Mako replied in unison, causing Yuugi to groan. The pair smirked devilishly at their uncomfortable friend.

"I should've known you'd have told _him_," Yuugi said, pointing at Duke with a raised eyebrow.

"There are no secrets amongst thieves!" Duke declared.

"I... don't think that's how the expression goes," Yuugi laughed, though Duke and Mako had begun bantering good naturedly and probably had not heard him. "Also, guys," Yuugi chirped. "I called my two friends on the way, so they should be arriving at any moment..."

"The more the merrier!" Mako pronounced loudly, earning a quick thump from Duke.

"What?" he belted in offense, causing Duke to shush him.

"Idiot, you're going to get us kicked out for being too loud," Duke scoffed.

"I was _trying_ to be nice to Yuugi's friends!"

"Well try _quieter_!"

Mana, Mahado and Yuugi blinked as the exchange grew louder, before shaking their heads.

"Are either of them hot?" Duke asked suddenly, his blue eyes glinting wolfishly.

"Well it's hard for me to say. I mean, I've known them forever, and they're basically my brothers..." Yuugi said, trailing off.

Duke shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "I guess I'll just have to wait and see then. Any other friends I can meet, just in case?"

"Nope, just me, Joey and Tristan," Yuugi replied, wisely leaving out Tea. She certainly wasn't his friend any more, and he wasn't willing to uncover that can of worms just yet... or ever.

"Hmm too bad, you seemed like to type to have lots of girl friends in high school!" Duke laughed unkindly, while Yuugi just raised his eyebrow. "Hey Yuugi, don't look at me like that. I like to keep my options open. I don't discriminate. How about it, little man?"

"You wish you were that lucky!" Yuugi deflected easily, desperate to get the conversation off of sexual preferences, or even just sex in general. "If you don't mind me saying, you two seem even more revved up than normal tonight..."

"I told you Yuugi, my buddy mentioned that some hot new waitress had started," Mako cheered, his energetic demeanor returning with a flash. "Damn, I wish that I remembered her name..." he mumbled clearly annoyed at himself.

"Ah don't sweat it buddy!" Duke chortled, "even if we don't get _that_ waitress, you aren't going to be disappointed!" Duke made a lewd gesture with his hands, and pursed his lips suggestively.

"Pigs," Mana scoffed, shaking her head in disgust. "If you're done, I'd like a drink."

As if Mana's words had summoned her like a magician's spell, a short waitress with long brown hair appeared at their table. She was dressed in white sneakers, short denim shorts, and a tight, cropped, white t-shirt with the Hooters logo that left nothing to the imagination.

While the others stared at her chest, Yuugi instead stared with increasing horror at her face. "Hi there, welcome to Hooters. My name's-"

"SERENITY?" Yuugi shrieked, stopping the pretty waitress in her tracks. _Oh no…_ he panicked, the levity of moments ago forgotten. _This is __**not**__good_!

"Serenity!" Mako said carelessly, thumping his forehead with his hand. "_That's_ what he said her name was."

"Yuugi?" Serenity gasped in surprise, ignoring Mako completely. "What are you doing here?"

"Dude, you actually _know_ her?" Mako cackled, "damn, I'm coming out with you more often." Yuugi appeared oblivious to Mako as he continued to stare at Serenity with wide, scared eyes. Serenity looked at him in confusion, before a dismayed understanding suddenly lit her angular, hazel eyes.

"Hey Yuug," Joey's voice called, as the blonde appeared in the restaurant's doorway, shaking the rain from his shaggy hair. Tristan joined him moments later, and the two marched towards the table. "Sorry we're late, but dis knucklehead- _WHAT THE FUCK, SERENITY?_"

"Joey!" Serenity exclaimed fearfully, clapping a hand to her mouth. _Oh shit_, Yuugi thought, dropping his face into his hands, as if clenching his eyes would make this whole nightmare go away. Unfortunately, he could still hear perfectly well.

"What. Are. You. Doin'. Here. Dressed. Like. DAT?" Joey screeched loudly, causing many of the customers nearby to turn their heads. Serenity hurriedly covered her exposed mid-drift and began to slowly back away from the table.

"Calm down man," Duke said, grabbing onto the arm of Joey's green jacket.

"Who da fuck do ya think yer tellin' ta calm down, ya bastard?" Joey spat, wrenching his arm away from the geneticist. Duke's green eyes widened in surprise, but he wisely did not comment further. Joey glared at Duke for a moment longer, as if daring him to interrupt again, before turning his complete wrath onto to the waitress.

"What gives Yuugi?" Mako hissed under his breath, directly into Yuugi's ear.

Yuugi slowly lifted his head from his hands, groaning. "She's his little sister," he muttered dully, Joey's yells nearly drowning him out. Yuugi could hear Tristan's calm voice trying to reason with his best friend, but Joey was far beyond reason.

"Oh," Mako replied, his eyes widening and his mouth forming a small 'O'. "I take it by _little_ sister you mean…"

"Yeah, she's only seventeen," Yuugi confirmed, loud enough for Duke, Mahado and Mana to hear him. Duke looked sickened with the realization, while Mahado's expression did not change. Mana only sucked in her breath.

"We're leavin', Serenity," Joey finally ordered harshly, removing his own soaking wet coat and handing it to the frightened girl. "Come on."

"And why should I let you do that?" an angry voice said suddenly, as a burly man with a graying mustache approached the table. Though he was slightly shorter than Joey, he looked to be about double his weight. Yuugi moaned as he read the words 'Manager' off of the man's name tag.

Joey, however, was far too pissed off to be intimidated, and glared icily at the newcomer. "How's dis, asshole; you get outta my way right now, and I _might_ not report ya to da damn police for hirin' an underage girl ta parade around in next ta nothin. Yeah, dat's right; she's _seventeen_," he added as the manager suddenly looked aghast. With impressive speed despite his large size, the manager scurried away, presumably to call up the owner and hopefully prevent further damage. Without further ado, the irate Joey grabbed his sister's arm and escorted her from the restaurant.

"Whoa man," Tristan breathed, once the Wheeler siblings had disappeared. Yuugi echoed his sentiments fervently, nodding his head slowly as his tired brain still tried to fully comprehend what had just happened. Soon, he glanced around the table as his group of friends, all of whom, aside from Mahado, were gaping like goldfish.

"D-Don't you think you should go after them?" Mana asked Yuugi timidly, her blue eyes still trained on the door.

"Trust me," Tristan said earnestly, "Right now, that's the last place either of us should be. I'm Tristan Taylor by the way," he added, holding his hand out.

"Mana Diego," Mana replied, taking his hand limply and shaking it.

"Tristan's right," Yuugi agreed, "We'll go find Joey once he's cooled off a bit, but right now, he needs to deal with Serenity on his own. Until then; um Tristan? Meet the rest of the guys: Mako Tsunami, Duke Devlin, and Mahado Cian. Guys, this is one of my oldest friends, Tristan."

"Hi," Tristan greeted brightly, with a little hand wave. "By the way, Devlin; hope you know you almost got murdered tonight," Tristan mentioned matter-of-factly.

"Yeah, I kind of noticed that," Duke replied. "I don't blame him though, I didn't realize she was his little sister... though dressed like that, she sure didn't _look_ seventeen."

-o-

Despite the Joey fiasco, the rest of the night went by without a hitch, and Yuugi found himself having much more fun than he expected. Mahado and Tristan found out that they had a shared love of photography, and Yuugi was shocked to hear Mahado speak more in those three hours than he had in the entire time that Yuugi had known him. Like every project the mechanical engineer undertook, Mahado was extremely knowledgable on the subject, and had earned Tristan's admiration.

It was well after two by the time that Yuugi arrived back at his cottage, and he groaned as he realized that he had promised himself that he would write back to Malik before going to sleep. Feeling slightly guilty for rushing, he tore a piece of lined paper out of his notebook and penned a quick reply.

Yes, work was going well, he got a promotion. Yes, he missed them too. Yes he remembered Mai Valentine (and congratulations for that by the way), yes he would name his first discovery after Malik, though he might tweak the name somewhat. And of course, yes, he would come visit as soon as he could.

_Oh, and before I forget_ -_ Malik you won't believe it, but I, Yuugi, caved and bought a computer. Don't get too excited, I got it second hand... _but _you can now email me instead of waiting a week for snail mail to get through._

He quickly jotted down his email address and a quick 'I love you all!', before sealing the envelope and tossing the note on his kitchen counter, to take into town with him tomorrow morning. Then, without even bothering to undress, Yuugi tossed himself down onto his bed and fell into a deep sleep.


	7. Chapter Six

**LIN NOTES**: We have a long weekend here in Canada, so I decided to celebrate! I hope you guys like this chapter - the pace will start clipping along a bit more quickly now.

Thanks for reading!

Also, the title is in reference to the song _How to Save a Life_ by the The Fray.

**-Maelstrom-**

_By: Lindelle_

**Chapter Six: Had I Known, How to Save a Life **

By the time that Yuugi had arrived at KaibaCorp on Monday morning, he had all but forgotten about Friday's interaction with Atem and the subsequent ethical dilemma that followed. He had finally spent a much-needed weekend on his own, but whether by accident or unconsciously on purpose, he hadn't left himself any time to sit down and think. No, his two, glorious days had consisted of a bit of light reading, investigating the tide pools that had swelled on the rocky shoreline near his cottage, and two spectacular dives just off the coast that had yielded several interesting odds and ends of the bookcase in his living room. True, he had nearly given himself an aneurism while trying to figure out his new laptop, but what the hell - it _was_ to be expected by someone who still typed with two fingers, he conceded grumpily.

What he _not_ had time to do, however, was allow himself to dwell on a certain hybrid that was most likely sulking miserably in his - _its -_ aquarium. _Yeah_, Yuugi thought to himself, as his rusty red pick-up truck sputtered into the KaibaCorp employee parking lot, _it'll all be fine if I can just keep thinking of Atem as an 'it'_. A treacherous voice in his brain reminded him that dehumanization was what had led to most of the atrocities committed by mankind throughout history - but, another voice argued back vehemently, there had to be actual _humans_ involved to apply that concept, right?

"Aaand," he said aloud, slurring the word for emphasis, "there I go again." With a glum groan, he smacked his head against the worn, leather steering wheel in front of him, feeling his shark tooth earring jostle heavily at the motion. It seemed that his conscience had finally returned from vacation, and that his two days of peace had abruptly come to a halt. Pinching the bridge of his pert nose in exasperation, Yuugi slowly maneuvered himself from the cab of his truck and meandered over to the massive building as slowly as possible, though he knew that he was just delaying the inevitable. As Yuugi arrived at the entrance, the large glass doors pulsed open to admit him to the stark, white lobby.

"'Lo Rebecca," he chirped with an absent minded wave to the front desk, falling easily into his morning routine. The perky blonde receptionist had become a friend of sorts, and he knew that a little acknowledgement with her went a long way... it meant that she would always treat him to a big, welcoming smile, that was guaranteed to make his early mornings fractionally better. That was why he was slightly taken aback when he didn't receive an immediate reply - and she certainly wasn't on the phone. "Rebecca?" he asked curiously, halting his steps and tilting his head in her direction.

Rebecca looked, to put it simply, like a mess. Her blonde hair, typically worn in playful, bouncy curls, hung in limp strands around her face. Her freckles stood out prominently, and her pale skin was splotched with red - Yuugi guessed that she had recently been crying. Stranger still, in place of her usual flamboyantly coloured blouse rested a sensible, black dress shirt. "Rebecca..." Yuugi asked cautiously as he approached the desk, his cherubic features arranged in genuine concern, "are you all right?" He glanced quickly at the large aquarium that had captured his attention on his first day. "It isn't Seabiscuit is it?" he asked worriedly, remembering her fondness for the orange and black seahorse.

"Oh Yuugi," Rebecca breathed, the 'i' in his name punctuated by a small hiccough. "I-I guess you haven't heard then?"

"Heard what?" Yuugi asked worriedly, his thoughts, for some indiscriminate reason, diverting immediately to the hybrid several stories below him. He felt his stomach twist nervously. "Rebecca, what happened?"

"D-Dr. Alistair h-he..." Rebecca began, as tears started leaking from her expressive, blue eyes, "h-he didn't make it. W-we f-found out yesterday. H-he... h-here, I just can't," she finished with a sob, handing the latest edition of the The Seattle Times to the startled marine biology intern before her. Despite Rebecca's obvious distress, Yuugi felt the tension in his belly release slightly... that was, until he read headline. As his eyes scanned the page in horror, Yuugi heard a dull roaring in his ears - one that he was sure was nothing but a figment of his imagination, but one that immediately gave him a headache nonetheless.

_In a heartbreaking turn of events, shark attack victim Dr. Alistair Valon of KaibaCorp has died of a bacterial infection caused by his injuries. Having been stabilized by the medical experts at Seattle Grace hospital, Dr. Valon was moved to a private facility owned by KaibaCorp CEO, Gozaburo Kaiba, to aid in his recovery. "It is a terrible tragedy," Mr. Kaiba commented, once the official statement announcing Dr. Valon's death had been issued, "Alistair was a promising talent and a good friend. He will be missed by all."_

_Dr. Valon was reportedly bitten by a large, great white shark while surfing recreationally after work on September 6 of this year. A bright star in the marine research community, Dr. Valon had been a well-regarded employee of KaibaCorp for over 20 years. At this time, his team has declined to comment, but other staff members have referred to him as a friendly, outgoing individual that truly loved his work. _

_An obituary will follow later this week. For information regarding funeral arrangements and services, please visit Section D12. _

Yuugi felt the newspaper fall from his fingers, which had gone numb in shock. Images of bloody water and torn flesh were unconsciously pulled from his memory, and he could hear the distant sound of frantic voices murmuring over one man's pain-filled groans. Closing his wide, purple eyes to hold back tears, Yuugi violently shook his head to clear his thoughts, his spiky mane of hair bobbing wildly at the motion. Opening his eyes again, Yuugi looked directly at the devastated receptionist and said raspily, "That's horrible. I c-can't believe it." _I can't believe that Atem killed somebody. He - it - _killed _somebody_. Like a mantra, that word kept repeating itself in his head. _Killed, killed, killed_.

"I-I know," Rebecca stuttered, "Dr. Valon was such a _nice_ person too. He was like you, Yuugi. H-he would say hi to me everyday... a-and how he won't ever... say hi... again." Despite his own panic, Yuugi reached over and grasped Rebecca's tiny hand in his own. His parents - _Oh God, I should call them tonight and let them know that I'm all right, they've definitely seen this by now_ - had always raised him to be the perfect gentlemen, and Rebecca quite clearly needed some comfort.

"I didn't know Dr. Valon," Yuugi said soothingly, "but I'm sure that he was a great man."

"H-he was," Rebecca agreed with a tiny nod. "He n-never took anything too seriously. He'd want us a-all to laugh at the irony that it was a _shark_ of all things that g-got him. He loved working with sharks - they were one of his specialities. He was probably playing with the s-stupid thing before it bit him."

"Yes," Yuugi agreed uneasily, as the memory of the biologist's desperate cries once again invaded his ears, "I'm sure he was." The screams were growing louder now, and he had to resist the urge to pull his hand from Rebecca's and slap his palms over his ears to drown it out. Thankfully, Rebecca seemed to notice his unease, because suddenly, the blonde receptionist took her hand from his and placed it expertly on the keyboard in front of her.

"A-anyways," Rebecca finished with a sniff, "Dr. Valon would want me to c-continue working. He always said that I was the best thing about his m-morning, though I'm sure that he was just saying that..." Rebecca's already splotchy cheeks grew redder as they were tinted with a soft blush. On any other day, Yuugi would have said that it was cute.

"No way," Yuugi replied, forcing a wink, "I thought the same thing on my way in. Sounds like he wasn't just a great man, but a smart one too." Rebecca reddened more at the comment, but gave him a watery smile in return. "Try to stay positive this morning," Yuugi added, "when my Grandpa passed away, I just kept myself busy. It worked... sort've."

"Okay, I'll try," Rebecca said bravely. "Have a good morning Yuugi."

"You too, Rebecca."

-o-

Despite his advice to Rebecca, Yuugi felt the sweat gathering in his palms as he rode the elevator down to the sub-basement. The men's locker room had been uncharacteristically silent, the typical bawdy morning banter replaced with averted eyes as the staff changed quickly into their respective white lab coats. Yuugi cautiously glanced around for Mako, Duke, or Mahado, but didn't spot them - he supposed that they had slunk out like the rest. Reaching up to his neck, he fiddled with the Maroi necklace that rested comfortingly against his collarbone, as he always did when he was nervous. For the first time since he had begun his internship at KaibaCorp, Yuugi dreaded going into the Room. Honestly, he was scared - and not just of dealing with his callous colleagues or the legal ramifications that would arise if he got caught illegally _tampering with genetic coding_. No, this time, he was scared of the subject. He was scared of Atem, and what the hybrid was capable of.

The elevator's sudden chime startled Yuugi from his thoughts and he found himself stepping into the clinical white hallways of the sub-basement. Walking miserably through the hallway, he arrived at the Door more quickly than he could have imagined. Briefly, he toyed with the idea of waiting outside of the Room for a few more moments to compose himself, but the choice was quickly taken out of his hands as the Door swung open on its own. With a sigh, Yuugi stepped through, and nearly ran into his supervisor.

"Good morning Yuugi-boy," Dr. Pegasus greeted with an enthusiasm that made his intern feel slightly disconcerted. _He's oddly chipper this morning, for someone who's colleague just passed away, _Yuugi commented inwardly. There was no way the doctor hadn't heard the news... so how could the man be so _happy_?

Nonetheless, he could see Dr. Pegasus was waiting expectantly, so Yuugi forced himself to reply. "Good morning Dr. Pegasus," he said, the words coming out as a near whisper. "Did you have a good weekend?" _Dumb question Yuugi,_ he thought miserably.

"It was not without it's complications," Dr. Pegasus replied simply, running a spidery hand through his unbound, perfectly straight, white hair. The motion causing several strands to dislodge and fall in front of his glinting, brown eyes.

There was no need to ask what those _complications_ were. "I-I heard about Dr. Valon," Yuugi stuttered softly, "I'm sorry."

"Well I'm sure that's quite the consolation to him now," a rough voice spat, a voice that could only have been Bakura's. "Little Yuugi Motou is _sorry_. Well isn't that just _pathetic_."

Yuugi narrowed his wide eyes at the cruel man, who was seated at his workstation, arms crossed and eyes glaring. As protocol dictated though, Yuugi bit back a retort, and instead chose to examine the biologist more closely. Bakura's skin was paler than usual, a hard feat for a man who was a borderline albino, and it looked nearly translucent. Dark purple bags framed the man's narrowed, chocolate brown eyes. _The colours in his face match his shirt,_ Yuugi thought immaturely, referring to the white and blue striped shirt that Bakura wore beneath his lab coat. His anger at the biologist, however, was dampened slightly when he remembered the unusual panic that had dogged Bakura's motions as he tended to the wounded Dr. Valon. _He actually seemed... upset,_ Yuugi realized, _maybe Bakura cared about him? Maybe they were even... friends?_ The idea of Bakura having friends was so absurd that he nearly laughed out loud, but really, there was no other explanation forthcoming. Not that Bakura ever needed an explanation for his hostility.

"Akefia," Dr. Pegasus trilled, as one would when reprimanding a pet. "Be nice to our innocent little Yuugi. Though with that earring," he added with a wink, pointing at the shark earring that Yuugi had finally had the guts to wear at work, "you look a little less... _innocent_ than normal." Bakura rolled his eyes sarcastically and exhaled loudly, not seeming the least bit cowed. "Ah, you'll have to excuse him," Yuugi's supervisor continued. _As always_, Yuugi added mentally with a touch of disgust. It never ceased to amaze the intern how often Dr. Pegasus asked him to _excuse_ Bakura's cruel words and brash manner. How could the man get away with being such a dick? "The... unfortunate events of this weekend have brought back some unpleasant memories for him," was the explanation that Yuugi received this time - but wisely, Yuugi just kept his little mouth shut and nodded his head in mock understanding.

_Be the bigger person_, his conscience advised, and for once, Yuugi actually listened to that little voice in his head. "Of course," he simply said, arranging his expression into one of angelic concern. "I completely get it." Bakura exhaled again, this time in displeasure, but apparently sensed that his unending need to argue would not be satisfied with Yuugi. Cursing once under his breath, the white haired man twisted around in his swiveling, leather chair and began typing furious on his keyboard.

"So now that he's occupied," Dr. Pegasus began, with a sharp clap of his hands, "I have a teensy announcement to make. Yuugi, Dr. Dartz and myself have been called to one of our complexes in Japan on an urgent matter. We will be leaving this morning - right away, in fact!"

Something in Yuugi's carefully guarded expression must have shifted, because the Head of Marine Biology quickly rushed to placate him. "Oh, no reason to look so glum, Yuugi-boy! We will be back together soon enough - I don't expect this little trip to take more than three months!"

"Okay," Yuugi said, more out of stunned disbelief than out of acquiescence. "So... what would you like me to do while you're gone? Am I being reassigned?"

"Oh heavens no!" Dr. Pegasus replied dramatically. "Continue your research as if nothing is different! Both myself and Dr. Dartz are very much looking forward to your presentation on the properties of cuttlefish venom. Please compare your findings to Atem's own venom - Dr. Dartz extracted several vials this morning. Oh, speaking of Atem, if you wouldn't mind taking care of him while I'm gone...? I'm not sure that Dr. Bakura is quite the right person to ask."

The roaring was back in Yuugi's ears, but this time, the noise was anything but dull. Dr. Pegasus's instructions were quickly droned out by the noise, and Yuugi found himself nodding dazedly, though internally, he was panicking. _Care for Atem?_ he thought dismally, _I can't do that all by myself, I'm just an intern! I mean, Dr. Pegasus showed me how and everything but I've never actually _done _any of it! And tha-that thing just _killed _someone! I can't do this!_

"... though I'm sure that Akefia will assist you if you get really stuck..." the supervisor continued, oblivious to Yuugi's inner struggles.

_Oh fucking great, _Yuugi grumbled, mildly surprised that he had been brought to cursing. It generally took a lot to get Yuugi to swear, but this morning had been so _shitty_ that he was surprised that he hadn't broken down yet. _And, it just keeps getting better. Asking Bakura for help - Ha! He actually makes Atem look _pleasant. As if sensing his thoughts, Bakura turned around away from his computer screen, just to glare at him hatefully.

"... and we'll be sure to check in at least once a week, but the time difference can be a pain, you know... I'm sure you understand _that _Yuugi-boy..." Yuugi understood, all right. He understood that Dr. Pegasus was basically leaving him alone for three months with a colleague and a hybrid that would both probably _compete in the Olympics_ for a chance to kill him.

"... so be a good boy while I'm gone - save up that little rebellious streak of yours until I'm back," Dr. Pegasus finished with a suggestive wink, "I'd hate to miss any fun." _I hate him_, Yuugi thought glumly, though outwardly wished the marine biologist a pleasant trip with a charming smile. He probably would have dwelled on it more if his mind hadn't been on the verge of collapse. Before he had time to completely process his predicament, Dr. Pegasus had disappeared from the laboratory in a flamboyant flourish of his lab coat, leaving Yuugi on his own with only an angry biologist, a deranged hybrid, and half a dozen fetus jars for company.

Speaking of said deranged hybrid, Yuugi allowed himself to glance at the large, slightly murky aquarium for the first time that morning. He could vaguely make out the contorted shape of Atem, curled up in a mass of his colourful tentacles, in the far back corner. Yuugi felt a very, very brief moment of pity for the creature, remembering that Dr. Pegasus had mentioned that it had had venom extracted that morning, but that pity was immediately replaced by a bolt of fear that shot down from Yuugi's chest to his toes. _Murderer_, he thought nervously, as he averted his gaze from the hybrid and shuffled over to his desk.

As he approached his workstation, he examined his chair curiously. _Just two days ago, I was sitting next to Atem's tank and _waving _at him - it - of all things_, he thought dismally, eyeing Friday's completed charts, that were strewn haphazardly across his tiny desk. _I was _playing _with him - it - like it actually had a conscience_. Refusing to dwell on the subject any more, Yuugi threw himself into his chair and allowed himself to sink into the comfortable leather. Eyeing his desk, he noticed the vials that Dr. Pegasus had mentioned earlier, filled with a translucent substance that reminded him vaguely of water mixed with a tiny bit of milk. _Or cuttlefish venom_, he realized. Atem's venom actually looked quite similar to the samples that he had been studying for the past week. He would get to those analyses later though, he decided. First, he had to make sure the creature didn't _die_ while Dr. Pegasus was gone. He needed to make sure it had food.

Atem was fed through a giant, metal dispenser, secured to the far side of his aquarium. The dispenser was excellent not only because it distributed food automatically at fixed intervals, but because it made sure that Atem's diet was restricted only to bits of fish and vitamins... and not people. Even Dr. Pegasus realized that it would be utterly foolish, and not to mention dangerous, to actually approach the tank and toss the stuff in. If Yuugi remembered correctly, the dispenser was filled on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays... so had Dr. Pegasus dealt with it before he left?

"Dr. Bakura?" Yuugi asked timidly, only just remembering to add the man's title to his inquiry. Bakura had moved to the filing cabinets on the other side of the laboratory, and was reading a clipboard in his hands. He didn't even blink to acknowledge the intern's question. _Maybe I should ask him louder?_ Yuugi thought, hoping that the reason for the biologist's silence was simply because the pale man hadn't heard him. "Dr. Bakura, do you know if Dr. Pegasus refilled Atem's food dispenser before he left?"

"Why the fuck would I care?" Bakura snapped, his brown eyes never leaving the pages in his hands. "That _beast_ starving is the best thing that could happen to me."

Yuugi trembled at the biologist's tone. _How am I going to survive two months alone with him_? he thought miserably, though secretly, he agreed with the man. Still, if he let Atem starve, he might as well kiss his 'dream job' good-bye, so taking the initiative, he went to check the dispenser on his own. _Dr. Pegasus has explained the theory to me, so how hard could it be?_ he asked himself optimistically, as he began moving around the lab to collect How-To manual.

Famous last words... er, thoughts.

-o-

Yuugi nearly threw his tiny arms up in frustration when, exactly one hour and forty-six minutes later, he was still seated cross-legged on the cold floor, glaring hatefully at the dispenser. He began furiously reading through the operations manual again, but the damn contraption was so effing complicated that Yuugi was almost ready to call it a day and let the creature starve. Today was really shaping up into the worst day of Yuugi's life.

Bakura meanwhile, seemed to be enjoying himself immensely. It came as no surprise, of course, that the biologist offered no help. Oh, he had feigned indifference for the first twenty minutes of Yuugi's endeavor, but he had clearly enjoyed watching Yuugi struggle too much to bother hiding it any more. For the remainder of the time, he had been watching from his desk chair - arms crossed, and with a wickedly amused smirk on his face.

_The container is full, the lever is up, so _why _isn't the little green light on? _Yuugi whined in frustration, the little green light referring to the 'Ready to Dispense' light on the side of the machine. With an irritated huff, Yuugi flipped the operations manual back about three pages, and reread the instructions for what felt like the hundredth time. Furiously, his free hand came up to fiddle with his Maori necklace. _This thing is worse than IKEA furniture_.

Yuugi's concentration, however, was instantly broken when he caught an abrupt movement in his periphery. Startled, he jumped slightly, causing his fingers to slip awkwardly across the manual's pages and cut into his skin._ Oh, it's just Bakura_, he grumbled, putting his bleeding finger into his mouth and sucking on it. True enough, the biologist had just rearranged himself in his chair, cross one leg over the other to get comfortable. _Atem's in the aquarium, and he's _not _getting out, _Yuugi reminded himself.

Yuugi's efforts also came with the additional complication of having to sit very close to Atem's tank, all the while facing _away_ from it. If he was being honest with himself, the dispenser wasn't even the biggest part of the problem... it was being in this place in general. Everything from the disturbing hybrid fetus jars lining the wall to the clinical white floors made Yuugi feel like the world was crashing down around him. Add that to the fact that he was currently sitting less than five feet away from the cause of another man's death... it was safe to say that Yuugi was becoming extremely nervous. True, the hybrid had remained in its dark corner for the entire time that Yuugi had been sitting on the floor, but for some reason, Yuugi couldn't quite shake the feeling that he was next on the hybrid's hit list. Regardless, his anxiety was causing him to make stupid mistakes, among them, accidentally dumping the food into the _sedative_ compartments of all things. The fumes that had wafted up from _that_ compartment had nearly put Yuugi flat on his back, even though a part of him wished he could just huff them and sleep for a good few hours...

_Forget it, get back to work_, he advised himself, _don't let this thing beat you!_ Whether he was talking about the machine or about Atem, he wasn't quite sure. Steeling himself, he turned his back to the hybrid's aquarium, tuned out the world around him, and began reading the operations manual again in earnest.

-o-

He was still shaking furiously from their foul examination that morning, whether from the terror or from the sickening substance they had forced upon him, he did not know, he thought mentally with disgust. Disgust was easier than the fear that he had felt mere moments before. Fear was weak, and dampened his instincts - his urge to fight and to keep himself alive. It froze him, and the stillness was far more painful than the lesions and torn muscles that arose from his protestations. No, fear was much worse, because fear would give them power that they did not deserve. Repeating those thoughts like a mantra, he gradually emerged from the safety of his tentacles, and snapped open a glowing crimson eye to glare at the creatures surrounding him. _He_ wasn't there at least.

In fact, he noted with bitter curiosity, only two of the monsters were present today. Perhaps they had finally made of the mistake of underestimating him? No, that wasn't it. He had enjoyed the red one's flesh too recently for their tormenting to come to a halt this quickly. The Hated One was most likely off plotting something sinister in retribution. Beast.

Red eyes shifted predatorily to the smallest of the monstrous breed, an unconscious tendency he realized, that was becoming more and more frequent. He did not observe the tiny creature due to an underlying interest, he reminded himself forcefully, but because, of the lot, this one most resembled _prey_. It was skittish and weak.

There _had_ been that odd interaction from several light cycles ago, but the hybrid had long since written that off as an anomaly. True, he thought treacherously, he had waited almost apprehensively for the little barbarian to arrive the following morning, only to feel a small pull in his chest when he realized that it wasn't coming. It was an odd tendency they had, he realized, to leave him unattended occasionally for long periods of time. Odder still that he did not starve during those times. Still, he admitted grudgingly, the monsters outwitted him constantly, and were probably clever enough to keep him alive to ensure that they had a pawn for their foul little games.

Still, the little one's behavior today was almost... disconcerting. It flitted around the room with even more anxiety in its step than usual, and he had a suspicion that he was among the causes for it. Then the little thing had seated itself next to his container, refusing to look at him, even going to great lengths to avoid his gaze. The hybrid smirked evilly, entertaining a new thought. Why not return the gracious favor his hosts had shown him by passing on a little fear of his own? Slinking closer to the barrier nearest the seated, two-legged creature, he glared heatedly at the tiny one's back, baring his fangs menacingly and fanning his colourful tentacles around him. Oh just _wait_ until the little barbarian turned around!

-o-

Movement in his periphery vision caused Yuugi to jerk again, but he forced himself not to look. After all, Bakura would eventually notice if Yuugi kept jumping every time something around him moved, and the _last _thing Yuugi wanted was for Bakura to realize that he was scared. There was no way on Hell or Earth that Yuugi would give him _that_ satisfaction.

"You aren't even using the correct book, Brat," Bakura's harsh voice scoffed, making Yuugi freeze. It wasn't the biologist'swords that made his heart stand still - he was almost used to the biologist's cruelty. The direction of his words, however, indicated that Bakura had somehow walked over to the opposite side of the laboratory without Yuugi noticing. So, if Bakura was there, who was behind him? With a slow, terrified motion, Yuugi turned around jerkily.

Years later, Yuugi would deny vehemently that he had screamed like a little girl... but no one would believe him.

-o-

His tanned hands flew to cover his sensitive, humanoid ears, as the barbarian unleashed an unholy shriek that nearly deafened him. Snarling, he propelled himself back from the barrier. Vaguely, he could see the white haired beast further away, doubled over and clutching its gut in what the hybrid sincerely hoped was life-threatening pain. It's facial features were scrunched into an odd expression, and its shoulders were quaking in what _could_ have been desperate gasps for air. The spark of hope that the hybrid felt intensified as the pale brute fell to the floor and pounded its fist against the ground. One down, now on to the second, he thought, glaring heatedly at the tiny menace before him. Much to his surprise, the creature did not crumple under his crimson gaze, but instead matched it with an intensity that he did not realize that the little one possessed. The violet glare, however, was soon pulled away from him and leveled on the other barbarian nearby. The little one began gesturing wildly about, angrily flailing its extremities, and its mouth was moving rapidly. The hybrid could hear distressed sounds accompanying the motions. Perhaps, it too was injured? he questioned, though the thought did not bring the accompanying glee that he been expecting.

Still it had never served him to be hasty in the past, he thought, as his tentacles coiled around him predatorily. If there was one thing that he had learned from barbarians it was, when they were angry, they were unpredictable. He felt a nervous twinge in his gut as he added, 'and they grew stronger as well', vaguely remembering the terrifying darkness that had greeted him the last time he had been beaten. The memory of the white one's fists fueled his rage, beating down the fear in his chest. Baring his teeth, he approached the clear barrier menacingly and fanned his tentacles out aggressively.

He was startled, however, to see that the littlest beast had already retreated from the aquarium, but it had not bolted in panic as he had been suspecting. No, the creature's footsteps were surprisingly loud for one so small, their force causing the water in his prison to vibrate. The hybrid watched with his jaw slightly ajar as the tiniest barbarian walked out of the room, his only comfort being that the pale one had stilled its motions on the floor, staring with wide, unblinking eyes. He hoped that it was finally dead.

-o-

Yuugi heard the Door slam behind him as he stormed out of the laboratory, and he continued to curse into the hallway. It was rare that he intentionally tried to hurt another human being with his words, but the anger had finally built up inside of him to the point that he'd snapped - and all it had taken was three nasty words from Bakura: "you're next, Brat", accompanied by cruel laughter.

A very small part of him was mortified at the colourful expletives he had subsequently used to cuss out the biologist, but he had truthfully meant everything that he had said. _"I've fucking had it!" _he had screamed raggedly, pointing furiously at the cackling man. _"I have had it with your bullying, with your bitchiness and most of all, with all of your _bullshit! _I've tried, God I've tried, to just ignore your rudeness and your complete fucking indifference to me and to your job, but you know what? You have this coming. You are a cruel bastard, Bakura, and you are going to spend the rest of your fucking life alone - and you know what? You fucking _deserve_ it!" _

He had ended his tirade breathing heavily but feeling more all right than he had all day. A sick part of him twisted in pleasure as the smirk fell from the biologist's face as the man stilled in his laughter. If Bakura had been any one else, Yuugi would have thought that his expression had shifted to one of _pain_, but Bakura didn't feel pain. He was cold as ice. So, when the white haired man had opened his mouth to reply, Yuugi didn't bother to wait for the next explosion; instead, he had maturely stormed from the Room and ended the conversation on his terms - with a dramatic, proverbial (actually, literal in this case), bang.

_Maybe I should just quit_, Yuugi thought miserably, running his fingers over his necklace for what seemed like the hundredth time that day. _No, I can't give Bakura the satisfaction_. True, his defacto supervisor was probably preparing to skin him alive, but Yuugi had spent most of his life acting the coward and he would be damned if he let it continue today. He had run away from Tea, from his family and friends, and from Atem... he would _not_ run away from Bakura too.

_Just let yourself cool off, _he advised rationally,_ and then go back into that room with your head held high_. And if Bakura tried to fire him, well, then he could go fuck himself.

-o-

Ten minutes later, Yuugi slid his ID key into the Door and it beeped open. Walking in with as much composed confidence as he could muster, Yuugi jutted his tiny, pointed chin out in front of him, and stepped into the laboratory. Immediately, his violet eyes searched out Bakura, and gave him a quick once over to gauge his mood. Bakura held himself rigidly, but his expression had returned to its usual, bitter scowl. He glared at Yuugi from the filing cabinets with his customary crossed arms, and his erratic white hair seemed to have puffed out like the tail of an angry cat.

Yuugi was tempted to glare back, but instead took a deep breath, and did what he knew, deep down, was right. "I apologize for my earlier outburst," he stated calmly, with an air that he hoped screamed 'professionalism', "it won't happen again."

Bakura was silent for several moments, before he shrugged his shoulders and replied snarkily: "Keh. I'm shocked that you had the balls to do it in the first place, Shrimp." Yuugi's eyes widened fractionally in surprise - coming from Bakura that almost sounded like a... compliment. Yuugi was floored. Anger, silence, threats, he had expected them all. But praise? Yuugi was left gaping like a fish out of water. Bakura smirked slightly, pleased to once again have the upper hand. With cocky motions, he then whisked a file out of the cabinets and strutted off to his desk. He purposefully refrained from looking at Yuugi, indicating quite clearly that the intern was no longer worth his attention.

Wisely, Yuugi decided not to comment and returned to his own workstation in a slight daze. That was _it? _He didn't want to look a gift horse in the mouth, but _wow. _

As he sat down though, Yuugi realized that he _still_ hadn't actually succeeded in filling Atem's food dispenser. With a quiet groan, he rolled over to the tank using his feet to push the chair along the floor, already feeling a migraine coming on. However, when he returned to the spot on the floor that he had occupied moments earlier, he was shocked for the second time in as many minutes.

The phony operations manual was off the floor and a quick glance told Yuugi that it had been returned to its proper place in the filing cabinet. Even stranger... the dispenser's green light was on and flashing merrily. "How?" Yuugi breathed quietly. The contraption was actually working... but how?

The answer hit Yuugi like a ton of bricks. Swiveling quietly in his chair, he eyed the biologist's back suspiciously, before breaking into his first, true toothy smile of the day.

"Thanks Bakura," he said cheerfully, giggling slightly as the man's spine stiffened noticeably and he paused in his typing. All was silent for a moment, until...

"Keh."

-o-

The pair of Unspeakables worked in silence for the rest of the morning, afternoon and into the evening. To call the silence amicable would have been a stretch, but it certainly wasn't the tense, angry quiet of the past week. Wisely, they had both decided to forego lunch, or rather, forego the awkward sadness that had plagued the entire company since Dr. Valon's unexpected death. It was not until Bakura began clearing his desk for the night that Yuugi broke their silence with a cheerful "Good evening." Bakura nodded his head sharply, and after carefully storing his papers into a bright yellow folder, he turned off his table lamp and departed. With a slight smile, Yuugi returned to the project that had consumed his afternoon - analyzing Atem's venom samples, as Dr. Pegasus had requested.

Venom testing was tricky, particularly when the threat of screwing up meant having to extract more of the translucent substance from a very unwilling and vicious hybrid. Yuugi frowned as he thought of Atem - now that he was sure that the subject wouldn't starve, he had tried to forget about the creature and their encounter that morning, an encounter that had probably scared ten years off of Yuugi's life. Living in fear was dangerous, biology class and Batman had taught him so, but if he couldn't remove the fear, the least he could do was ignore it.

Unconsciously, Yuugi's eyes flicked over to the hybrid's habitat - Atem had been mysteriously quiet all day, since his little scare tactic early that morning. Vaguely, Yuugi could make out the blurry, dark shape of the hybrid curled up in his customary corner - humanoid upper body lost in a sea of tentacles and spiky hair. Curiously though, Atem wasn't moving.

_It isn't dead, is it?_ Yuugi worried inwardly, mentally congratulating himself on finally using 'it' instead of 'he' on his first attempt, before remembering the larger issue at hand. Quickly, Yuugi wracked his brain for his mental 'Keeping Atem Alive' checklist and went through it sequentially. _Food, check. Water is chemically balanced, check. Clean tank? Well relatively..._ _but a bit of murky water doesn't bug a Beta fish, so why should it bother Atem?_

Yuugi stood with a groan, allowing his hands to clench into tight fists at his side. "What if I missed something?" he hissed to himself. "What if Atem's dead? Dr. Pegasus'll kill _me!"_

The victory of making peace with Bakura looked minor in comparison - if he got fired for killing the test subject, working things out with his colleague wouldn't really make a difference. Forcing himself to take a deep breath, he scolded himself quietly. "Don't panic, Yuugi. Before you freak out, check. All you have to do is man up, walk over to that corner, look in, and forget that he wants you served up like a raw steak."

Already failing at manning up, Yuugi squeaked as he inched towards the aquarium and crept up on the still creature. _No movement yet, _he thought, remembering that morning, _that's a good sign. No wait! No movement is _definitely _a bad thing_. Slinking forward, he gently tugged his lab coat tighter around his chest and with a deep breath, he pressed his face up against the glass. With a gush, he released the breath that he was holding when he saw tiny bubbles floating up from Atem's gills. The hybrid was alive... and sleeping?

Now that Yuugi knew that the creature was unaware of his presence, he allowed himself a moment to examine Atem closely. It was the first time that he had really _looked _at the hybrid when it wasn't pissed off or flailing above-water in anguish. Ignoring the fact that he had a mass of tentacles growing out from his waist, the hybrid's human half was actually kind of perfect. Sure, Yuugi knew all of Atem's physical traits, having catalogued them multiple times at one point or another on Dr. Pegasus's orders. Crimson, slit-like eyes, sharp teeth, black hair... but he'd never thought of Atem has a whole package, just as its parts. This was part of the dehumanizing process, Yuugi supposed, and knew that he should turn away, but he didn't.

Atem's skin was lightly tanned, which brutally unfair in Yuugi's opinion, given that the hybrid had never stepped out in the sun... ever. Distinctively, Yuugi remembered hearing Dr. Pegasus say that the human DNA used in Atem's creation was that of a mummy - an ancient Egyptian Pharaoh, in fact. _I guess that using a dead person's DNA helps Gozaburo and Dr. Pegasus hide the fact that they're making illegal clones in the basement_, Yuugi thought, realizing, not for the first time, that he found aspects of the cloning distasteful. From a scientific side, it was a truly remarkable feat, and from far away, the repercussions were easy to ignore. However, when he looked at the sleeping hybrid in front of him, wrapped up in its tentacles with a soft expression on its face, Yuugi felt his heart break slightly with sadness. It wasn't much of a life, whether Atem was an 'it', a 'he', or something in between.

"Why can't I make up my mind about you?" Yuugi asked softly, examining the near human features of the unconscious hybrid. If not for cat-like crimson eyes and the razor sharp teeth that the sea creature was all too fond of barring in Yuugi's direction, Atem's face could almost be considered handsome. "You're a killer," Yuugi added determinedly, but it was hard to think of Atem as the vicious murderer, when his expression was so _young looking_ - especially not when the hybrid shifted slightly in his sleep to bury his face within his tentacles. "I guess that's part of being a predator," Yuugi said, brushing his hand thoughtfully up against the glass. "You're dangerous... but there's something about you that draws prey in." _Like an angler fish's light_.

Absentmindedly, Yuugi's fingers began tracing Atem's silhouette, and he continued to stare at the hybrid, lost in thought. He was so far gone that he didn't realize when his hand motions stopped, and his palm instead moved to lay flat against the glass barrier.

-o-

He awoke gradually from his slumber with the uneasy feeling that he was being watched. The earlier excitement, both from the Hated One's experiments and the fright he had received from the smallest beast, had exhausted him, but he nonetheless cursed for allowing himself to sleep so long. The barbarians could have done anything to him - or could be planning to do something as he lay there. Determinedly keeping his expression slack, he carefully arranged his body so that his face was obscured from view within his tentacles. Confident that he could rouse without warranting attention, he allowed one of his crimson eyes to open and peer out through the inky mass of his lower half.

He nearly propelled himself away when he realized that the tiny monster was very close by; had the clear wall not been in the way, he could have reached that one easily. Minutely tensing himself for the inevitable fight, he readied himself to bare his fangs and leap. However, he halted his movements seconds before they began, when he realized something... odd.

The being was unfocused, he thought incredulously. It was both present, and not. It's wide, deceptively innocent eyes were glazed in a way that he supposed resembled himself when he allowed himself to get lost in his thoughts. _So it is plotting_, he grumbled nastily to himself.

However, the barbarian looked less aggressive this way, he mused, though he wasn't sure if he liked it any better. The beast could be just lulling him into a false sense of security. Though his internal clock reminded him that it was nearly time for the lights to vanish, he cast a glance around for the other barbarian that had been present that day - the pale one with the coarse, white hair, its appearance not unlike that of the Hated One. Neither, however, were in the vicinity.

Slowly, he uncurled his body from the protective sheath of his tentacles, ready to escape to the opposite end of his tank should the need arise. He felt oddly triumphant upon realizing that this little one had no hope of capturing him alone, even with the aid of that disgusting sleep substance. His body was far larger, and heavier too, he imagined. Feeling as though he had the upper hand for the first time in well, forever, he allowed himself to give into his curiosity and examine this captor more closely.

It _was_ short, though he obviously knew this from his past observations. It's skin was a similar tone and texture to that of the others - far paler than his own. It's body was also awkwardly shaped - how did the barbarian manage to swim? He knew, of course, that they did not have tentacles as he did, but perhaps he was hiding part of himself in that large, white covering that swathed its body?

The only extremity that the hybird _could_ see in fact was a hand - a hand that was splayed against the clear wall that separated them. He noted with slight shock that it actually resembled his own quite closely, though the fingers were slightly stubbier. That didn't come as much of a surprise though - this one's entire body was short and compact, and those small fingers matched. Still, he wondered, how much larger were his own?

Checking once more to ensure that the beast was truly lost in its own mind, he carefully opened his palm and laid it against the glass, mirroring the other before him. Gradually, he spread his tanned fingers to align with the creature's on the other side of the wall. Yes, he noted with satisfaction, his hand was indeed larger... though perhaps not as much so as he had guessed. Cocking his head, he brought his other hand up and pressed it on the glass, until both of his hands were before him, approximately a shoulder width apart.

And to his complete and utter surprise, the tiny barbarian did the same.


End file.
